Indian Premier League 2019 Match 51, Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad: Preview, likely XIs, predictions

Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals have already qualified for the Playoffs of IPL 2019. Of the others, Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad are placed best to qualify. The two teams will now clash on Thursday night at Wankhede Stadium for Match 51 of the tournament.

While Mumbai are ahead on points (14 to Hyderabad‘s 12, having played 12 matches each), Hyderabad’s net run rate (+0.709) is so good that they will have a reasonable chance even if they lose both their matches. Both sides have been formidable, and will look to ensure a Playoffs spot at the earliest.

Unfortunately, Hyderabad will be without David Warner, the current Orange Cap holder with 692 runs, for the rest of the tournament. Jonny Bairstow (seventh, with 445) will not be available either. Only two of their teammates – Manish Pandey (234) and Vijay Shankar (160) – have scored more than 60, which elaborates exactly how fragile their middle order has been.

Nevertheless, they can now play both Shakib Al Hasan and Mohammad Nabi along with Rashid Khan and an army of Indian seamers.

In Kieron Pollard and the Pandya brothers – Krunal and Hardik – Mumbai have a cohort of hard-hitting all-rounders, who have delivered over the course of the tournament. Rahul Chahar has emerged as a top-quality leg-spinner, while their opening batsmen and yorker gurus have been superb.

Head to head

Sunrisers have clung on to a 7-6 lead despite their defeat earlier this season at Uppal. On that occasion Pollard (46 not out in 26 balls) had lifted Mumbai to 136/7 after Nabi (4-0-13-1), Sandeep Sharma (3-0-20-1), and Rashid (4-0-27-1) had pegged them back to 97/7 in 18 overs.

Then IPL debutant Alzarri Joseph (3.4-1-12-6) produced the best bowling figures in the history of the tournament as Hyderabad were shot out for 96.

Key players

Rahul Chahar (Mumbai Indians): The Hyderabad middle-order is likely to be exposed early Without Warner, and who better to make use of that than Chahar? Uncapped Chahar, one of the contenders for Emerging Player of the Tournament, has gone for only 7.26 an over, and has got 10 wickets.

Rashid Khan (Sunrisers Hyderabad): Rashid has been brilliant (6.18 an over) throughout the tournament; it was just that he was not getting the wickets. He put that to rest by ripping through the Kings XI Punjab middle-order (he had 4-0-21-3). Also remember his ability to find boundaries.

Likely XIs

Mumbai Indians: Quinton de Kock (wk), Rohit Sharma (c), Evin Lewis, Suryakumar Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Barinder Sran, Rahul Chahar, Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (c), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Manish Pandey, Vijay Shankar, Mohammad Nabi, Shakib Al Hasan, Rashid Khan, Abhishek Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma.

Prediction

Home advantage, coupled with David Warner’s absence, make Mumbai favourites.