Mumbai Indians (MI) have an uphill task of beating Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 170 or more runs batting first, to make the playoffs by bettering their net run-rate in Abu Dhabi. The side has strung a few losses in the UAE leg to find themselves in a spot of bother. This is the last league game for both teams before the playoffs start from October 10.
While SRH have already been eliminated from the tournament, they still can play spoilsport for MI. The defending champions registered a big win over Rajasthan Royals, however, that was not good enough to bring their net run rate into the positive (-0.048).
Sunrisers Hyderabad are playing for pride as they have nothing to lose. They have won two games in the UAE leg with their last win coming against RCB where they defended 141. Their bowler came together to earn their team a 4-run win.
On that note, let’s take a look at 3 key battles to watch out for during SRH vs MI Clash during the MPL Fantasy Cricket.
1) Kieron Pollard vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvi defended 13 off the final over against RCB with AB De Villiers on strike. Against Pollard, the Indian medium pacer have a decent enough record. He has dismissed Pollard thrice in seven innings conceding 49 runs.
The big-hitting West Indian has scored those runs against Bhuvi with a strike rate of nearly 170. However, he has not been in the best of form in the UAE leg after scoring 87 against CSK in the India leg.
2) Hardik Pandya vs Rashid Khan
This is the second battle to watch out for in the game. Hardik has not been in the best of form in this IPL season. His batting and bowling form has been a concern for Team India heading into the T20 World Cup.
Rashid Khan meanwhile has picked 16 wickets in the season so far and would like to dismiss Pandya and Pollard if he can. He has been miserly as ever with giving runs away. Against Hardik, he has a particularly good record. Two dismissals in five innings for just 18 runs edges the battle to the leg-spinner.
3) Hardik Pandya vs Siddarth Kaul
Pandya will also be up against Siddarth Kaul. Kaul has been superb with his changes of pace for his side. So far this season, the SRH pacer has picked up seven wickets from seven games.
In four innings against Hardik, Kaul has dismissed him twice giving away just seven runs. The MI big hitter has scored at a strike rate of just 50. With Pandya struggling this season, Kaul has a chance to get the better of him once again.
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