An out of form Mumbai Indians are gearing up for another tough challenge at home as they will face Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday.
Just two days before this clash, MI lost to Kolkata Knight Riders at the same venue to register their eighth loss of the season. The men in blue of IPL have had a tough outing this season and are sitting at the bottom of the points table.
Hardik Pandya and team will be facing an in-form SRH who have been in red-hot form with the bat. The team in orange have scored more than three 250+ scores in this season so far, including the highest IPL team total ever – 287/3 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
What: MI vs SRH, Match 55
When: May 6, 7:30 PM IST
Where: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Live Streaming: JioCinema App
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MI Team News
MI were on the road for over two weeks. During that away leg, Pandya and Co. played four matches but could only manage to win one of them, against Punjab Kings. After that they went on to lose three consecutive games against Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants.
Upon returning to Wankhede stadium, the MI fans were hoping for a change of luck but it wasn’t the case. The five-time champions lost to KKR by 24 runs.
MI have mustered just six points in eleven matches so far. Playoff spot is a far-off dream now but there is still something to play for.
“I don’t think that we don’t have anything to achieve from here,” MI’s Naman Dhir told the media on the eve of the match. “We have to play for our fans and our pride. We would want to win all three matches. Atmosphere is positive in the dressing room. Earlier we were playing to win every match and the intensity is still the same.”
The biggest takeaway from the previous match was Rohit Sharma’s inclusion in the team as an impact player. MI spinner Piyush Chawla told the media after the match that Rohit had some mild stiffness in the back.
Naman gave an update on Rohit’s fitness.
“Before that match, Rohit had a stiff back. World Cup is also around the corner so as a precaution he played as an impact player. But he is here for practice today so I guess all fit and fine,” said Naman.
Rohit batted in the nets for a long time during the practice session.
MI Playing XI vs SRH
Ishan Kishan (wk), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Nehal Wadhera, Tim David, Mohammad Nabi, Piyush Chawla, Gerald Coetzee/Luke Wood, Jasprit Bumrah, Nuwan Thushara
SRH Team News
SRH have been a revelation under new captain Pat Cummins. Their batting line-up has created a fear in the opponent’s minds with their brutal power hitting.
SRH have been consistently posting 200-plus totals and with the kind of conditions they will get at the Wankhede, they might end up crossing 250 for the fourth time this season.
Wankhede is known for big scores the flat decks and shorter boundaries helps the batters to put on an exhibition of power hitting.
On one hand SRH are scoring big totals but on the other had they have been conceding a lot of runs too. Their bowling has been a cause of concern but their last encounter against Rajasthan Royals would have given them some confidence coming into the Mumbai game.
The match against Rajasthan went down to the wire as Bhuvenshwar Kumar defended two runs on the last ball by dismissing Rovman Powell. Bhuvneshwar and T Natarajan back in form have certainly strengthened SRH further.
The 2016 champions will be looking to inch closer to sealing a playoff spot with a win here.
All eyes will be on the contest between Travis Head and Jasprit Bumrah with the two in-form players itching to assert domination.
SRH Playing XI vs MI
Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Anmolpreet Singh, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Marco Jansen, Pat Cummins (capt), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Jaydev Unadkat/Mayank Markande
MI VS SRH Pitch Report
Wankhede has always been a batting paradise where big totals are scored and also chased quite easily at times. The short boundaries ensure plenty of big shots. The dew factor could play a major role with teams preferring to chase.
In 114 IPL games at this venue, teams batting first have won 53 times, while chasing teams have won 61 times.
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