Five-time champions Mumbai Indians will need to outclass bottom-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last league match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in Abu Dhabi on Friday (October 8), knowing fully well the tricky situation they have found themselves in their bid for a play-offs spot. Courtesy their eight-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals, the defending champions are currently at the fifth spot, with 12 points from 13 games, with a net run rate of -0.048.
But, Kolkata Knight Riders, with a net run rate of +0.480, are sitting on the fourth spot with 14 points from 14 games. In this scenario, MI may find it very difficult to qualify for the play-offs even if they beat SRH as the gap in their NRR with KKR is not small.
It’s Matchday in Abu Dhabi #OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #IPL2021 #SRHvMI pic.twitter.com/8mbUpI7psm
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) October 8, 2021
Asked if it is an advantage to play a team like SRH on the last day, MI captain Rohit Sharma had said, “All eight teams are capable of beating each other. But the good thing is that KKR plays before us, so we will know what to do.”
In any case, Rohit (363 runs) will have to lead from the front again. He has got starts but has not been able to convert them, and the great white-ball exponent would be itching for a big score. And so would be his opening partner Ishan Kishan (157 runs), whose confidence would have been boosted from his unbeaten fifty against RR.
MI’s horribly out of form middle order, comprising the supremely talented Suryakumar Yadav (235 runs), all-rounders Hardik Pandya (117 runs), Kieron Pollard (232) and Saurabh Tiwary (115 runs), will have to come good.
Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah (19 wickets) was exceptional and would be raring to bowl his yorkers again. He would need support from Trent Boult, Nathan Coulter-Nile, who grabbed four wickets in the last game, and spinner Jayant Yadav.
The Sunrisers, who are already out of reckoning for a play-offs berth, will look to finish the tournament on a high. Skipper Kane Williamson was back among the runs and would be keen to start from where he left on Wednesday.
Teams (From):
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (captain), Quinton de Kock, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Aditya Tare, Anmolpreet Singh, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary, Anukul Roy, Simarjeet Singh, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, James Neesham, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Marco Jansen, Yudhvir Singh, Adam Milne, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohsin Khan, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Piyush Chawla, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (captain), David Warner, Manish Pandey, Sherfane Rutherford, Wriddhiman Saha, Shreevats Goswami, Rashid Khan, Vijay Shankar, Mohammad Nabi, Abhishek Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddharth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, Urman Malik, Basil Thampi, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Abdul Samad, J Suchith, Jason Holder, Virat Singh, Priyam Garg, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Jason Roy.
What time does the IPL 2021 match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians begin?
The IPL 2021 match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians is scheduled to start at 07:30 pm. The toss will take place at 07:00 pm.
Where is the IPL 2021 match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians taking place?
The IPL 2021 match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians will be played at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Which TV channel will broadcast the IPL 2021 match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians?
The IPL 2021 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals will broadcast LIVE on Star Sports 2/HD.
Where can I catch the live streaming of the IPL 2021 match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians?
The live streaming of the IPL 2021 match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians will be available on the Hotstar app and website. You can also catch the live commentary/scorecard and latest updates of the match here at zeenews.india.com.
