The competition for the playoffs spot is heating up at the business end of the tournament. Teams are scraping for wins and boosting net run-rates. One among those are SRH who are stuck in the mid-table logjam. SRH are in a desperate situation now. They are on 10 points from 12 matches. They take on Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede stadium knowing that it’s a must-win match for them and the next one as well. It still doesn’t guarantee them a place in the playoffs.
They need to win big in both matches to boost their NRR which is in negative right (-0.270) now and will want the other results to go their way as well. Their biggest challenge will be recuperating from the losing rut where they have lost five matches in a row. Losing matches consistently can hammer the confidence. SRH need to go all out in order to somehow turn the tables.
Star watch:
Daniel Sams: After having a tough start to the tournament, Sams has bounced back really hard. He been really good in the powerplay and the death overs. Against Gujarat Titans, he managed to defend eight runs off the last over to help MI pull off a thrilling win. In the next match against KKR, he bowled an impressive spell of 4-0-26-1. And in the last match against CSK, he ripped through their top order to set the platform for MI as they bundled CSK out for just 97. He took the wickets of Devon Conway and Moeen Ali in the first over and then Ruturaj Gaikwad in the next over. He finished with brilliant figures of 4-0-16-3 and won the player of the match award. Sams is currently the joint-highest wicket-taker for MI along with Jasprit Bumrah and will be looking to carry forward the momentum into the match against SRH.
Kane Williamson: It’s been a forgettable campaign for the SRH captain so far. He hasn’t found any momentum at all and has averaged just 18.90 from 12 matches. He’s also striking at less than 100, 92.85 to be precise. The SRH middle order has been the one doing all the heavy lifting. If ever there was a time to stand up and deliver, this is the match and the phase. This is the chance for the captain to make amends. And Williamson would be looking to desperately get crucial runs under his belt. It will be interesting to see whether Williamson drops himself down the order and promotes Rahul Tripathi to open the batting. Anywhich ways, SRH needs the best of Williamson from here on.
Uncapped watch:
Umran Malik: The J&K pacer has been the talk of the town, ramping up speeds in excess of 150 kmph consistently. Not just the speeds, he been among the wickets as well. He’s the joint highest wicket-taker for SRH with 18 wickets from 12 matches currently. After scalping a five-for against Gujarat Titans, Umran went off the boil a little bit as he didn’t quite hit the right lengths against CSK and DC. He went wicketless in both the matches and went for 48 and 52 runs. He however roared back to form in their last match and picked up three wickets against KKR which included two wickets in his first over. He would be looking to carry forward that confidence from the last match and keep adding to that wickets column.
Tilak Varma: Amid a tough campaign, young Tilak Varma has been the shining light for Mumbai Indians. He’s impressed with his temperament, composure and strokeplay. In a side which has the likes of Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, he’s leading the run-charts for MI with 368 runs from 12 matches at 40.88. He’s striking at a decent rate as well – 132.85. His maturity again came to the fore in the last match against CSK. With MI struggling at 33/4 in chase of 97, Varma brought calm amid the storm and played a patient innings of 34 off 32 balls to take MI past the finish line. He would be looking to continue the good work and end the season with a couple decent knocks.
Exciting match-up:
Umran Malik vs MI middle order
Wankhede wicket generally does have something in it for the pacers. And the contest between Umran Malik and the MI middle/lower middle order could be an interesting one. Malik has mostly bowled in the middle and death phases. If SRH get a couple of early dismissals then Umran will be up against a potentially inexperienced batting order with the likes of Tilak Varma, Tristan Stubbs, Hrithik Shokeen and to an extent Tim David who hasn’t had much experience of playing in this league. It will be interesting to see how they handle the raw pace of Malik. If Rohit or Kishan stay on for longer, then it will be fascinating to watch how the battle unfolds.
Quote corner:
“I spend a lot of my time in the nets trying to hit sixes. I think it’s about putting pressure on the bowler and recognizing the right situations when you can try that in a game. There might be different pitches, or grounds that suit power-hitting off particular bowlers. You have got to pick those moments, and also you have got to be aware that it’s not going to come off all the time, and batting in the middle-order can be risky,” MI’s Tim David on how he practices power-hitting.
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, IPL Live Score Update, Latest IPL Schedule 2022 and IPL 2022 Points table, Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.