Mumbai need miracle against SRH to continue IPL 2021 race
For the first time in IPL’s history, the final two league matches of the season will be played concurrently but all eyes will be on Mumbai Indians, who take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 55th match of Indian Premier League 2021.
Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai have been left with an incredible task to grab the final playoff spot after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bagged a convincing 86-run win over Rajasthan Royals, boosting their net run rate and qualification chances.
For Mumbai, if they bat first, will need to win by 171 runs to qualify for the playoffs. If they bat second, then they will be eliminated.
Expected playing XI
MI
Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (w), Suryakumar Yadav, Saurabh Tiwary, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, James Neesham, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jayant Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult
SRH
Jason Roy, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Kane Williamson (C), Priyam Garg, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Siddarth Kaul, Umran Malik
Expected best performers
Rohit Sharma
Rohit has been the best batter for his side this season. The right-hander is the leading run-getter for Mumbai this season, scoring 363 runs at an average of 30.25 with a strike rate of 126.92.
His innings at the top will be vital for the defending champions as they will look to eye a massive score if they bat first. The skipper will look to play another knock of substance and hope others contribute the same way.
Jasprit Bumrah
Unsurprisingly, Bumrah has been the standout bowler for MI. In 13 matches, the Ahmedabad-born fast bowler has picked up 19 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 7.27.
He bagged two wickets against the Rajasthan Royals in the last match and will look to show a miracle performance as the stakes are high for Mumbai.
Match Prediction
Even though Mumbai have a mammoth task ahead of them but we have seen miracles over the years. Mumbai will look to break their own record of winning an IPL match by the biggest margin. They outclassed Delhi Daredevils in 2017 by 146 runs.
Mumbai will also be hoping that the coin toss turns out in their favour because batting second is not the option for qualification.
On the other hand, Hyderabad have been poor throughout the competition. They only have six points and are at the last of the table but Kane Williamson’s men daunted Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) chances of finishing in the top two on Wednesday. They will be eager to replicate the performance in the last putting against Mumbai. This will be their chance to finish a disappointing season on a high note.
Considering the forms of both teams, the reigning champions should grab a victory, but they will still be eliminated due to an insufficient margin of runs.
