Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad will clash against each other in the ninth match of IPL 2021 In Chennai.
Mumbai Indians made an incredible comeback in their second match against Kolkata Knight Riders, earning themselves a crucial victory. Led by Rohit Sharma, MI defeated the Knight Riders by 10 runs to get their season off the mark. The defending champions suffered a narrow victory in the first game of IPL 2021, losing to Royal Challengers Bangalore on the last ball.
Sunrisers Hyderabad, who finished on the third spot last season, have had a poor start to their 2021 season. David Warner’s men have lost both of their matches so far and will be hoping to claim two points against Mumbai Indians. The Orange Army lost their last match against Royal Challengers Bangalore by a narrow margin of just six runs. However, SRH were in a commanding position and should have sealed a comfortable victory against RCB.
Rahul Chahar was MI’s protagonist in their win against Kolkata Knight Riders. The leg-spinner picked up four wickets in his four-over spell, which also earned him the player of the match award. Krunal Pandya was one of the best bowlers for the defending champions, conceding just 13 runs in his four over spell and picking up the priced wicket of Shakib Al Hasan.
Sunrisers Hyderabad were in the driver’s seat for most of the game against RCB. It took a brilliant over from Shahbaz Ahmed that handed Kohli’s men the victory. The spinner picked up three wickets in just one over, which includes Jonny Bairstow, Manish Pandey and Abdul Samad.
Key Players
Rohit Sharma has gotten off to two good starts this season, but has failed to convert it into a huge knock. The right-handed batsman was unfortunate in the first match against RCB, as he ran himself for just 19 runs. In the second match against KKR, the Hitman was much more watchful and was on course to scoring a big knock. However, he was dismissed for 43 runs by Pat Cummins. Rohit will be hoping to convert his start into a huge knock against the Sunrisers and guide his team to consecutive victories.
Jasprit Bumrah went wicketless against KKR, but delivered a few good overs towards the end. The Indian speedster picked up two wickets against RCB, including the key wicket of Virat Kohli. Bumrah is a death over specialists and is among the best in the business. He will be a key player for Mumbai Indians this season, as they hope to lift their third consecutive IPL title.
David Warner is the only player to have won the Orange Cap on three occasions in 2015, 2017 and 2019. After a low score in the first game, the Australian was back to his best against RCB. The left-hander scored 54 runs off just 37 balls, which included seven fours and 1 six. However, that was not enough to guide his side past the finishing line as he was dismissed by Kyle Jamieson, which started a batting collapse.
Rashid Khan has had a great start to his IPL 2021 season. The Afghan leg-spinner has already picked up four wickets in his first two matches, two wickets each against Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore. He is a real challenge to come up against on the spin-friendly Chennai wicket. The leg-spinner picked up the key wicket of AB de Villiers, which helped SRH to restrict the Challengers to a low score. The 22-year-old has a knack of picking wickets at a crucial juncture in the game and is expected to come up with the goods against Mumbai Indians.
Prediction
Mumbai Indians are the more confident of the two sides, heading into Saturday’s clash. The five-time IPL champions have a strong squad and are one of the top contenders for the title this season. On the other hand, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s bowling attack is one of the best in the business. However, it is their batting unit that needs to deliver against Mumbai Indians.
David Warner, Jonny Bairstow and Manish Pandey are the only three recognized batsman in the SRH squad. The likes of Vijay Shankar, Saha and Abdul Samad will have to score runs consistently.
Although Mumbai Indians have one of the most feared batting units in the tournament, they have failed to end the innings on a high in both their matches.
Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya have failed to come up with the goods, which cost them the victory in their first game against RCB. SRH will bank on their strong bowling lineup against Mumbai Indians. David Warner will hope to continue his good form with the bat and score another useful knock on Saturday.
