SRH look to pile misery on desolate MI to edge closer to playoffs

As recently as a year ago, teams feared playing Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede stadium. 

In the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), MI, with their batting firepower, blasted teams out of the park at home, winning a staggering 5/7 games at the Wankhede. Their opponents on April 6 (Monday) bore the brunt of Mumbai’s batting muscle as well, conceding 201 in just 18 overs in the final group game of the season.

But a year on, things couldn’t be more different. Mumbai can barely buy a victory at home: 52 games into IPL 2024, MI have lost more games at home than they’ve won. 

Meanwhile, SRH are the side that teams now fear bowling to. MI, of all teams, know how bad it can get against this SRH team when they’re on it: the last time these two sides faced each other, SRH posted a then-record 277 batting first. 

Everything, then, points towards an SRH win. They have momentum on their side, and both their form and their opponent’s form favours them. Can the Men in Orange step it up and not only take a giant step towards playoff qualification but put a definitive end to Mumbai’s IPL 2024 campaign? 

MI vs SRH Head-to-Head

Overall - Games 22 | MI 12 | SRH 10

At Wankhede - Games 7 | MI 5 | SRH 2

Venue details

Historically one of the best batting surfaces in the competition’s history, Wankhede has been sort of a mixed bag this season. There have been three 190+ scores, yes, but we’ve also seen one low-scoring game (MI vs RR) and one average-scoring game, which was the previous encounter between MI and KKR, which saw the visitors successfully defend 169. The pitch for the MI vs KKR encounter proved to be tacky despite being a fresh surface.

How the wicket will behave tomorrow (May 6), then, is anybody’s guess.

Historically, Wankhede has also been a ‘bowl first’ wicket but this season, teams batting first have won 3/5 matches. Rest assured SRH will opt to bat if they win the toss. 

Weather forecast

Expect a hot and humid evening in Mumbai. The good news is that there’s absolutely no chance of rain; we’re hence certain to get a full game. The temperature will be around 34° during the day but will drop to 29° in the evening. 

Things to watch out for

Potential short-ball problem brewing for Abhishek Sharma?

The first half of IPL 2024 saw Abhishek Sharma destroy teams for fun in the powerplay, but the left-hander was dismissed cheaply twice in his last two games. Curiously, Abhishek perished to short balls on both occasions. Early days indeed, but could there be a potential short ball problem brewing for the 23-year-old?

This year, Abhishek averages 75.5 vs spin but only 20.5 against pace. This already-low average drops to an alarming 9.8 against back of a length and short deliveries. Notably, seven of Abhishek’s eight dismissals against pace in IPL 2024 have been balls that have been short. 

With the MI trio of Bumrah, Thushara and Coetzee having pace in their arsenal, don’t be surprised if the hosts opt for a short-ball barrage against Abhishek up front.

Can Rohit Sharma arrest his rut?

Rohit Sharma, who is operating as a specialist batter this campaign, began the season spectacularly, scoring 297 runs in seven games, averaging 49.5, even smashing his first IPL ton since 2012. Post the explosive start, many expected the right-hander to kick on and have his best season since 2016, where he amassed 489 runs.

However, it’s been a monumental struggle for the MI skipper since the Punjab clash in Mullanpur. Across his last four innings, the 37-year-old has amassed just 29 runs at an average of 7.25, with his scores reading 11, 4, 8, 6. 

At one point in the season, MI were flying up top with both Rohit and Ishan Kishan firing, but both openers struggling at the same time has significantly hampered the five-time champions. Rohit needs to find form ASAP, not just for Mumbai Indians’ sake but also for his own sake, with the T20WC looming large.

Probable XIs

Despite slipping to defeat against KKR, don’t be surprised if MI retain the same XI.

MI likely XI: Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Tim David, Gerald Coetzee, Piyush Chawla, Jasprit Bumrah, Nuwan Thushara, Rohit Sharma (IP)

SRH will also likely stick to the same combo, playing the extra batter in Anmolpreet Singh while continuing with Marco Jansen

SRH likely XI: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Anmolpreet Singh, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Nitish Reddy, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Marco Jansen, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Jaydev Unadkat (IP)

Telecast and streaming details

The match will be live on Star Sports Network and live-streamed on Jio Cinema. The game will start at 7:30 PM, with the toss happening at 7 PM.

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