Context
Five matches, four losses. That record doesn’t make for pretty reading. That said, we are back home. And home is where the heart is. And home is where we beat Royal Challengers Bangalore to secure our first victory. Sunrisers Hyderabad are fourth on the table, but they go into Tuesday’s game on the back of two consecutive losses. We, too, need to fight back following Sunday night’s heartbreak in Jaipur. Also, there is a small matter of settling scores with Kane Williamson & Co. who handed us a defeat in Hyderabad earlier in the season. Also, it’s MI Icon Sachin Tendulkar’s 45th birthday. Let’s get our campaign back on track on this special day. There is no clarity yet on the availability of Shikhar Dhawan, who missed SRH’s last game with an injury. Thankfully, there are no injury concerns in our camp.
In The Spotlight
Mumbai Indians
Hardik Pandya has scored just 45 runs in four innings this season. That includes two not-outs. He has done reasonably better with the ball, picking up five wickets. An all-rounder of the highest quality, we hope he hits the high notes soon. A complete performance from him will boost the morale of the team. After all, he is one of the livewires of the unit.
After five matches, Mustafizur Rahman’s figures read 19.5-0-178-6. His economy rate is 8.97 and he has picked up a wicket only once every 20 deliveries. This has to change. A world-class bowler armed with several variations, Rahman needs to rise to the occasion. The team expects big things from him.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
With 230 runs in five matches, Kane Williamson is vying for the Orange Cap. His 84 against Chennai Super Kings was a masterclass, but he fell at an inopportune time. The New Zealander would like to set the record straight with a match-winning knock against MI. He didn’t do much of note against us last week either.
Deepak Hooda’s career strike-rate in T20s is a whopping 140. But his numbers this season are underwhelming. He has scored just 43 runs in four innings at a strike-rate f 93. And he has yet to pick up a wicket. He did score an unbeaten 25-ball 32 when we met them in Hyderabad on April 12.
Key Clashes
Bhuvneshwar Kumar vs Suryakumar Yadav
Yadav is on a roll. He is enjoying the responsibility of opening the innings. In fact, he is thriving. He followed up his 53 against Delhi Daredevils with an imperious 72 against Rajasthan Royals. On Tuesday, he will be up against a bowler who seldom dishes out freebies. Discipline is his middle name and Kumar will use every possible trick in the bag to unsettle Yadav. That said, Yadav is an enterprising batsman who always looks to get on top of the bowler. This contest will make for interesting viewing.
Mayank Markande vs SRH batsmen
The young leg-spinner dismissed Wriddhiman Saha, Shikhar Dhawan, Manish Pandey and Shakib Al Hasan in the first leg in Hyderabad. Alas, his 4/23 couldn’t inspire us to victory. Markande would be itching to come up with a similar performance at the Wankhede on Tuesday. Let’s hope he bamboozles the opposition batsmen yet again and wins us the game.
Number Game
Head to Head SRH lead 6-5
Form Guide MI: LWLLL SRH: LLWWW
Last 5 Matches SRH have won four of the last five games, including the one on April 12 in Hyderabad.
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