Indian Premier League 2019 Match 19, Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians: Preview, likely XIs, predictions

Sunrisers Hyderabad will host Mumbai Indians for the second match of the weekend, on April 6, at Uppal. With 3 wins in 4 matches and an outstanding net run rate of +1.78, Hyderabad are comfortably placed at the top of the points table of IPL 2019.

Mumbai had started slowly – as they have almost every time – but gained some momentum by defeating the still-unbeaten Chennai Super Kings. They have won 2 out of 4, the same as Delhi Capitals, but Mumbai have a match in hand.

Hyderabad’s success story has been built around their opening batsmen, David Warner (264 runs) and Jonny Bairstow (246), who have scored significantly more than others in this edition till now. However, the top order were in some discomfort last time when the openers were dismissed.

Rashid Khan has conceded under 6 an over. He has been supported well by the seamers, Sandeep Sharma, Siddharth Kaul, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. And the stunning rise of Mohammad Nabi (2 matches, 6/32, economy 4) has kept Kane Williamson out of the side.

Mumbai, on the other hand, have some ferocious hitters. Their top seven have all struck at over 130. Jasprit Bumrah has been outstanding, and the side has been bolstered by the arrival of Jason Behrendorff.

Head to head

Sunrisers hold a 7-5 advantage, a lead helped by two wins last year. They restricted Mumbai to 147/8 at Uppal, Sandeep taking 2/25 and Rashid 2/29. However, Mayank Markande (4/23) and Mustafizur Rahman (3/24) helped Mumbai fight back.

Hyderabad needed 11 off the last when Deepak Hooda hit Ben Cutting for six. It came down to 1 off 1, when No. 11 Billy Stanlake lofted one over mid-wicket for four.

Markande (2/15), Hardik Pandya (2/20), and Mitchell McClenaghan (2/22) bowled out Sunrisers for 118 at Wankhede. Mumbai were reduced to 21/3 before they recovered to 61/3. Then Kaul (3/23), Basil Thampi (2/4), and Rashid (2/11) bowled out Mumbai for 87.

Key players

Mohammad Nabi (Sunrisers Hyderabad): Nabi has played just twice in the tournament. He first took 4/11 against Royal Challengers Bangalore, then 2/21 against Delhi Capitals. Then he smashed an unbeaten 9-ball 17 to see Hyderabad home. Definitely a major threat.

Suryakumar Yadav (Mumbai Indians): Surya had top-scored for Mumbai last season. This time he is just 4 behind Quinton de Kock, their leading run-scorer. His 24-ball 38 helped Mumbai reach 187/8 against Bangalore, while his 43-ball 59 was their top score against Chennai.

Likely XIs

Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Vijay Shankar, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Mohammad Nabi, Yusuf Pathan, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (c), Sandeep Sharma, Siddarth Kaul.

Mumbai Indians: Quinton de Kock (wk), Rohit Sharma (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Yuvraj Singh, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Rahul Chahar, Jason Behrendorff, Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah.

Prediction

Mumbai have found their momentum, but Hyderabad have simply been fantastic. The hosts are favourites for this.