Last Updated on 7 years by Charbel Coorey
When the first ball is soon to be bowled, make sure you stop everything you are doing and immerse yourself in the action! This one has the potential to be a game we look back on at the end of IPL 2018 and say “that was the game of the tournament”.
Two contenders for this season’s title go head-to-head. Sunrisers Hyderabad, so impressive in their first up thrashing of Rajasthan Royals, will look to their bowling attack once again to put on a clinic. Their attack looks most impressive so far in IPL 2018, challenging batsmen from all angles. One minute you’re up against Rashid Khan, then Shakib Al Hasan then Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul and the fast Billy Stanlake. More of the same from SRH will give them a good chance for starting the tournament with two wins.
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| SRH look a really good unit at the moment |
In the case of Mumbai Indians, it’s almost like “who cares we lost our first game?” Even though they were on the wrong end of an incredible heist against CSK, Mumbai have time and time again proven that losing their first game is not the end of the world. They have now lost their first game in each of their last six IPL campaigns, but they have won three IPL titles in this time. This game will be a test of their resolve – can their key bowlers; namely Jasprit Bumrah, Mustafizur Rahman and Mitchell McClenaghan have better outings, in the now fully confirmed absence of Pat Cummins? Do they stick with Rohit Sharma at the top? These are questions that I can’t wait to see answered in a blockbuster clash.
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| Jasprit Bumrah – key bowler for MI |
Key to a Sunrisers Hyderabad win:
Their bowling was superb against a Rajasthan Royals possessing a number of power hitters.
Can they repeat it here?
Spinners Rashid Khan and Shakib Al Hasan went for a combined 46 off eight overs, with three wickets. Mumbai have the players to counter spin, so the challenge is there to repeat their impressive performance first up. However, what will also give SRH encouragement is the performance of their seam attack, headlined by Siddarth Kaul with 2/17 from his four against RR, supported well by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Billy Stanlake, taking 2/59 off eight overs between them.
Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson showed that SRH still have batting quality at the top in the absence of David Warner. Also, with Wridhimman Saha possessing a good record against MI, and an SRH middle order ready to have a go, another strong bowling performance can lead SRH to a second win of IPL 2018.
Key to a Mumbai Indians win:
Can MI get into SRH’s middle order quite early?
SRH’s middle order wasn’t required against RR, and MI would be keen to test them out – the earlier, the better. Compared to Rajasthan, MI possess a more well-rounded attack, and will be looking for wickets in the powerplay to thwart SRH’s batting effort.
Also, a key to victory lies in how their batsmen are able to rotate the strike throughout the innings, avoiding as many dots as possible against the SRH attack. In the powerplay against CSK, MI played out 21 dot balls. If they let SRH have a start like that, the likes of Rashid Khan and Shakib Al Hasan can choke the run scoring even more afterwards. Also, SRH managed to use only five bowlers against RR – can MI ensure Kane Williamson needs to turn to others to get some control?
Possible teams:
After such an impressive performance first up, why should SRH change anything? Expect them to stick with the same team.
Sunrisers Hyderabad XI: 1. Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 2. Shikhar Dhawan, 3. Kane Williamson (c), 4. Manish Pandey, 5.Deepak Hooda, 6. Yusuf Pathan, 7. Shakib Al Hasan, 8. Rashid Khan, 9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10. Billy Stanlake, 11. Siddarth Kaul
Rohit Sharma mentioned that Hardik Pandya should be fine to play, after rolling his ankle in the defeat to CSK. The fact he came back after his injury and took 3/24 off four overs was very impressive, and MI would see him as a key player, along with his brother Krunal who hit a wonderful 41 (22) the other night. Pat Cummins won’t be up for selection as he is ruled out of the tournament, a big blow for MI.
Also, it should be mentioned it’s a big game for Rohit Sharma and Evin Lewis, who underwhelmed against CSK. Rohit especially needs to ensure dot balls are at a minimum during the powerplay – I believe Ishan Kishan should open instead for this very reason, but I expect Rohit to open.
Mumbai Indians XI: 1. Evin Lewis, 2. Rohit Sharma (c), 3. Ishan Kishan (wk), 4. Suryakumar Yadav, 5. Hardik Pandya, 6. Krunal Pandya, 7. Keiron Pollard, 8. Jasprit Bumrah, 9. Mitchell McClenaghan, 10. Mustafizur Rahman, 11. Mayank Markande
Key battle:
Bhuvneshwar Kumar v Jasprit Bumrah: Two superb limited overs bowlers for India, both Kumar and Bumrah will have key roles to play for their respective teams. In terms of balls per boundary, both are superb in the powerplay (6.19 for Kumar and 7.80 for Bumrah), and in the powerplay, it is nearly an over each (5.94 for Kumar and 5.29 for Bumrah).
Stats and Facts:
- Head-to-Head: SRH: 5, MI: 5. At Hyderabad, it is 3-2 the way of SRH.
- In something that is not consistent with how IPL 2018 has gone so far, the team batting first won 75% of all IPL matches in Hyderabad last season.
- Krunal Pandya has an economy rate of 7.15 in IPL. It is certainly worth it for MI to consider bowling him.
- Wridhimman Saha and Shikhar Dhawan enjoy playing against Mumbai – they average 48.60 and 44.70 respectively.
Prediction:
Can I predict a tie?
One thing is for sure – no prediction is a silly one in a game like this where anything can happen. I do believe MI will present a tougher batting test for SRH, and could do enough to kick start their campaign. MI to win in a close game.
