Deadline: April 17, 7.30 PM IST
From 96 for 1, Hyderabad slumped to 142 all out against Bangalore, losing 9 wickets in 6.3 overs. In the opening game, they were well on course in a tough run chase but could not up the ante in the death overs. On both occasions, however, only two batsmen collected runs, and Manish Pandey was one of them. Although he was a valuable pick for the fantasy players, his strike rate began the downfall for his team.
Writing off Mumbai is a waste of energy. Throw them in any situation and they manage to come up triumphant. Hyderabad have to punch well above their weight to edge past the defending champions.
Probable 11
Mumbai: Quinton de Kock (wk), Rohit Sharma (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieran Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Marco Jansen, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah
Hyderabad: David Warner (c), Wriddhiman Saha/Jonny Bairstow (wk), Manish Pandey, Jonny Bairstow/Kane Williamson, Vijay Shankar, Abdul Samad, Mohammad Nabi/Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, T Natarajan
Fantasy team
We have opted for a fantasy cricket team based on recent performances, impact, and credit points.
Bairstow may have been scoring heaps of runs for England at No. 4, but it is their combination that allows him to play the way he wants at that position. Hyderabad does not have a responsible middle-order and to throw Bairstow in the mix is a risk they cannot afford. They rather need someone like Kane Williamson who can put a price on his wicket and then pace his innings smartly. However, they will have to bench one of the overseas players. Bairstow has been a proven opener for them and hence the axe may fall on Jason Holder. He has not done much wrong but neither has Mohammad Nabi. Just that Hyderabad are in desperate need of a reliable batsman.
With Krunal Pandya and Rahul Chahar back in form, Mumbai finally have a complete bowling setup. Spin seemed like a chink in their armour in the opening match. Against Kolkata, however, the spin duo not only took crucial wickets but also contained the onslaught at a crucial phase and against the likes of Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik.
Suryakumar Yadav will launch an onslaught right away. The early wicket in the powerplay did not affect his style of play. He collected three boundaries in the very first over he faced against Kolkata, playing in the air but through the gaps. His last 9 innings—including List A, international, and T20—read 50, 29, 133, 29, 91, 57, 32, 31, and 56.
For Hyderabad, Rashid Khan has been their star player. His bowling figures read 2 for 24 and 2 for 18.
Pitch report
The chasing team has lost the last three matches. The pitch slows down after the first 10 overs and then transforms into a rank turner in the second innings. Both captains would look to bat first.
There is a pattern, though. At least one wicket falls in the powerplay and overs 6 to 12 amass runs. Scoring at 8 RPO in the powerplay and keeping wickets in hands would not be a bad idea. A target of 160 would be competitive.
