SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) has had a disastrous start in the IPL 2021 so far, losing both their games. On Saturday, however, they would fancy their chances against defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) in Chennai, hoping to turn things around for themselves.
David Warner-led SRH have lost against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), whereas Mumbai Indians, after losing to RCB in their season opener, came back strongly to defeat KKR in their next match.
Warner, Manish Pandey and Jonny Bairstow have all hit fifties in the season thus far but their contributions haven’t translated into wins as SRH have faltered towards the end of the match in both their games. MI, on the other hand, after losing a close game against RCB, choked KKR in the death overs to register their first win.
For several years now, leg-spinner Rashid Khan has been SRH’s go-to man with the ball, having returned 2 for 24 and 2 for 18 from his quota of four over in the two games this far. West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder, drafted into the SRH XI for the match against RCB, returned three wickets but couldn’t contribute with the bat as the team failed to chase 150 after being 116 for 2 at one stage. As for Bhuvneshwar Kumar, SRH’s strike bowler, he has had a mixed result so far, with returns of 1 for 30 and 1 for 45 from his four overs in the two outings.
The 2016 champions will expect more consistency from their players when they take on the defending champions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
In the previous match, Rohit Sharma and his boys snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat when they outdid KKR in the death overs. After they were restricted to 152, Mumbai looked all but out of the contest when KKR’s Nitish Rana and Shubman Gill added 72 runs in just under 9 overs for the first wicket. But a flurry of wickets in the last five overs saw KKR slip from 122 for 3 to 140 for 7, and they eventually lost the match by 10 runs.
Rohit Sharma (43) and Suryakumar Yadav (56) scored for the defending champions but MI will expect more out of their middle order.
Rahul Chahar got 4 for 27 and Trent Boult returned 2 for 27 against KKR and Jasprit Bumrah was reliable as ever at the death as MI bowled exceedingly well to derail KKR’s chase.MUMBAI INDIANS
STRENGTHS
• Rahul Chahar took 4 wickets against KKR
• Krunal Pandya is economical in both matches
• Rohit & Surya Kumar Yadav are in good touch
• Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah have done well
WEAKNESSES
• Batting does not click despite the top-class battingSUNRISERS HYDERABAD
STRENGTHS
• Warner & Jonny Bairstow are top-class batsmen
• A good pace attack of Bhuvi and Natrajan
• Rashid Khan shows good economy & wicket-taking ability
WEAKNESSES
• The lower middle-order is a weak link
• Manish Pande is yet to find his sublime touch
