Buoyed by back-to-back wins, the Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians will be keen to keep up the momentum against Sunrisers Hyderabad, who are also on 4 points
MI’s Cameron Green celebrates dismissing a KKR batsman at Wankhede on Sunday. Pic/Ashish Raje
Mumbai Indians (MI) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) started this year’s IPL campaigns in an identical fashion. They lost the first two matches before bouncing back in the next two. They now lie at eighth and ninth positions with MI ahead of SRH on better net run-rate. A fascinating duel is on the cards as they face off on Tuesday night at Uppal.
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Surya back among runs
The heartening news for MI is that key players like skipper Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan are back among the runs. Rohit, who came as an Impact Player against KKR, finally got his first 50 of IPL-16 (after 24 IPL innings) against Delhi Capitals. When on song, he makes batting look easy. Suryakumar ended his duck trot and was in the groove at the Wankhede Stadium. The 360-degree player hit hard and long in his 25-ball 43 in MI’s second win. So was Kishan with his half-century.
All eyes will be on SRH’s last-match centurion Harry Brook when they face MI today. Pic/PTI
It will be a huge moment for local boy Tilak Varma as he will appear for MI on his home ground for the first time. The left-handed Hyderabadi has caught the eye with his innovative, attractive and consistent batting.
Also Read: Mumbai Indians face uphill task against Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL clash
Chawla retains his guile
Veteran leg-spinner Piyush Chawla retains his guile and wicket-taking abilities. Off-spinner Hrithik Shokeen and Cameron Green were tight in the match against Kolkata Knight Riders. The MI bowlers run into an angry Harry Brook, who became the first centurion in IPL this year. Peeved by some adverse remarks for his failure in the first three matches on social media, the Rs 13.25 crore English batter hit out at critics after his Eden Gardens century against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Brook has been England’s big sensation with his explosive batting exploits. He took only three matches to adjust to Indian conditions and showcase his immense talent. Brook could be a thorn in MI’s flesh. Skipper Aiden Markram stitched an important partnership with Brook in the win against KKR. Though the form of SRH’s Mayank Agarwal could be a cause for concern, the decision to push left-handed opener Abhishek Sharma down to the middle-order proved successful in the last match.
The other move by coach Brian Lara was to re-jig the bowling attack by inducting left-arm seamer Marco Jansen and leg-spinner Mayank Markande from the third match. The duo have sharpened the SRH attack. Markande has bagged six wickets from two matches. It brought smiles to the SRH camp and impressed former India spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan. The leg-spinner has even tweeted that Markande has the potential to play for India as a new face ahead of Yuzvendra Chahal.
Pacer Malik is leaking runs
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has returned to his old form with his nagging bowling. However, Umran Malik, known for his fiery pace bowling, has been leaking runs and has not been able to get his swinging yorkers going. All eyes will be on the Jansen twins [Marco and Duan] in Tuesday’s match. Both South Africans are tall left-arm seamers and are similar in style, but Marco of SRH is richer in experience than Duan.
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