Match 17 MI vs SRH
Match 17 of the IPL will be played at the Sharjah Cricket Ground here in the UAE, and will see the magicians from Mumbai take on a rejuvenated Hyderabad side.
MI Lineup
MI in their last encounter outplayed the kings in all the three departments. They have their captain and opening batsman Rohit Sharma in good touch, which is crucial for any team. A captain doing well with the bat or ball is a confident captain, one who will back his players and be calm at the helm. Then you have an explosive middle order in Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, and Kieron Pollard.
The one match that MI lost in 40 overs, Sourav Tiwari played a steady innings, made 40 odd in 30 odd balls, and MI had set CSK a target of 162, which CSK got easily.
I think that is where MI realized that they need more firepower in the middle. Out went Tiwari and in came Kishan. The very first innings Kishan played was a 58 ball 99 against RCB. The way Pollard has batted in the tournament so far has been awe inspiring, a calm approach supplemented by fours and sixes at will. Something that worked fabulously for Pollard is playing the CPL (Caribbean Premier League) before the IPL this year, he captained Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) to the trophy, and TKR we’re undefeated in the tournament, some feat that. Hardik is also showing signs of coming back to form. The way he batted against RCB in that super over, must have motivated him to work extra hard and get back his touch. And that he did in the last match against Kings XI. Champion players are motivated by failures, and Hardik is a champion. The bowling has also looked penetrative with Bumrah bowling exceptionally well against the Kings. Pattinson is a genuinely good bowler, not your t 20 slower ball specialist type but one with real quality. Then there is Boult, the modern day “Sultan of swing”. Rahul Chahar has also looked threatening in the tournament so far. Krunal in the past has been a little expensive, but in the last one he looked real good. MI will hope they get Hardik bowling soon, but in the meantime Pollard is doing a decent job with his cutters.
The Mumbai Indians will be undaunted by any opponent really, as they know they have the goods to beat most teams on most days.
SRH Lineup
SRH have looked like a rejuvenated team ever since Williamson returned to the eleven. First they defeated the quality DC side, and then CSK.
Both their victories have come in Dubai. Dubai surfaces suit the SRH attack. Sharjah though is a completely different kettle of fish, and if Bhuvaneshwar Kumar is not playing then SRH will have to play an extra bowler, maybe Billy Stanlake / Nabi and drop Bairstow. The big positive that came out of the last game for SRH was Priyam Garg, I mean what a revelation he was. SRH barely had anything on the board when Priyam came into bat against CSK. On top of that a miscommunication between him and Williamson resulted in the later getting runout. Williamson fired a few verbal volleys at Priyam out of frustration before he left. In this scenario any 19 year old would freeze. But Priyam Garg is not any 19 year old, he was the captain of the u19 World Cup. He kep his nerve and played the innings of his life so far, scoring 26 ball 51 runs and ensuring SRH had posted enough for them to defend. The way Abhishek Sharma supported him was also commendable. Without Bhuvi SRH will have to drop Bairstow and play Billy Stanlake, Saha coming in for Bhuvi.
Tactics
In the small grounds of Sharjah you will be hit for runs, no matter who you are.So the bowlers must keep their cool and not think about the previous ball.
#MyPerdict
MI have depth and explosiveness in their batting, but SRH are a side on the up.
It will be a good game but MI will take this home.
