The ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League is heading into the last round matches of the league stages, and one playoff berth is still up for grabs. In game match for the playoffs spot, one of the two main contenders MI will take on SRH at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
The Sunrisers are already knocked out of the tournament and could well play a spoilsport as they did against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Virat Kohli’s men needed a victory to have a chance of finishing in the top two but SRH defeated them by four runs. The Sunrisers are at the bottom of the table with eight points, having won only four matches out of 13.
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For Mumbai Indians, however, this contest will be of utmost importance. They have somehow managed to stay in the race for the top four finish despite having a below-average campaign in the IPL 2021.
Out of 13 matches they’ve played, MI have won six matches while losing seven. They currently occupy the fifth spot with 12 points – same as Kolkata Knight Riders – but their net run-rate reads -0.048 compared to KKR’s +0.294. MI are coming off a dominant victory over Rajasthan Royals, where they chased down 91 in 8.2 overs and improved their net run-rate significantly.
If KKR lose their last game against RR, the Mumbai side will only need to win to qualify. But if the Riders win, MI will need a massive victory by around 70+ runs or 11 overs, depending on KKR’s margin of victory.
Key Players
Jasprit Bumrah’s incredible skill set comprising hard lengths, movement, variations and searing yorkers makes him an incredibly hard bowler to deal with. He has picked 19 wickets in the IPL 2021 at 7.27 runs per over. As far as his overall T20 numbers go, he has 228 wickets in 185 games at 7.05 rpo. Bumrah has picked 13 wickets in sixes matches of the UAE leg and will be a key player for MI in a must-win game.
Rashid Khan is the best T20 spinner in the world and has a magnificent record to boast of. The Afghanistan leg-spinner’s speed, control and variations make him a huge threat for the opponents. Khan has 390 wickets to his name in 283 T20s at an exceptional economy of 6.34 rpo, including three five-fers and six four-fers. He has once again been SRH’s best performing bowler, picking 16 scalps in the season at 6.44 rpo.
Rohit Sharma adds a lot of value to the Mumbai Indians side with his leadership and batting at the top of the order. He has terrific numbers in his T20 career, amassing 9428 runs at 32 and strike rate of 133, including six centuries and 65 fifties. The MI skipper is the top run-scorer for the team this season, with 363 runs at an average of 30 while striking at 127. He will have to and is capable of upping that strike rate if MI find themselves in a 2014-like situation.
One of the best limited overs openers in world cricket, Jason Roy has an outstanding record in T20 cricket, having scored 6685 runs at an average of 28 and strike rate of 143, including four centuries and 45 fifties. Roy has played four matches for SRH in this leg, scoring 60 off 42 and 44 off 38 in two of those.
Prediction
SRH are one of those rare teams, who have a neck and neck record against MI. Out of 17 matches they’ve competed in, MI lead the scoreline by a narrow margin of 9-8.
Sunrisers have struggled in both the batting and bowling departments throughout the season. Roy’s inclusion has strengthened them to some degree, but the batting unit is largely a mess. In the bowling department, Rashid Khan has been rendered ineffective for large part due to no support from other bowlers. However, in the last game pacers did well while Rashid was below average.
Mumbai Indians’s batting unit has been in poor form, with none of the batters besides Kieron Pollard finding any touch. The change in combination in the last game, where they brought in Ishan Kishan at opening and Jimmy Neesham down the order, should help them a bit.
The bowling unit has done well and will have a huge role to play here. Mumbai Indians will walk into the game as favourites but Sunrisers Hyderabad are more than capable of pulling an upset.
