Mumbai Indians have been on a roll having won three matches on the trot. They have jumped to eight points from eight games and are two places and four points above Sunrisers Hyderabad heading into their rematch in Hyderabad on Wednesday.
While the visitors are firmly placed in their quest for a playoffs berth, Sunrisers need to win most of their remaining seven matches to keep their chances alive.
Sunrisers have won both their matches at home riding centuries from Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma. With no wins in away matches, home form will be key to where they finish.
The template for the Sunrisers’ success has been based on how well Travis Head and Abhishek have got them off to a flier. But their dismissal for low scores has mostly complicated matters. How they handle the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult will have a huge impact on the match’s outcome.
Nitish Kumar Reddy’s sharp dip in form has also affected the Sunrisers. He has scored 131 runs at an average of 21.33 and a strike rate of 113.91 in seven games. They need a batter who can hold the innings together but Reddy hasn’t been successful in doing that so far.
The batters have thrived on flat wickets which produce high-scoring contests and having a favourable surfaceon Wednesday would give them a good chance to find some momentum.
For Mumbai Indians’ Tilak Varma it will be a homecoming of sorts and the expectations will be high.
“It is just a game, but it is emotional because I am playing at my home ground. I just want to get my basics right and give my best for my team,” Tilak said at the pre-match news conference.
Things have been falling into place for Mumbai with the successful comeback of Bumrah and Rohit Sharma’s return to form. If Rohit gets going from the start on what is expected to be a belter, it could spell doom for the home side.
Rohit’s sensational 76 not out and Suryakumar Yadav’s 68 not out with all his trademark shots coming out fluently, against CSK on Sunday, signalled the return to form of their two batting pillars.
Mumbai Indians are unlikely to change their XI given their success in the last game. They are well balanced with seven bowling options, Will Jacks included