Sunrisers Hyderabad will take on Mumbai Indians in match number 8 of IPL 2024 today at 7.30 PM. Both sides started off their campaign on a losing note. While the Pat Cummins-led SRH were blown away by KKR’s ‘Russelmania’ in Eden Gardens, Hardik Pandya’s MI failed to beat Gujarat Titans in their tournament opener. Both teams will hope to get two points with a win as they lock horns in a mouthwatering contest.
SRH vs MI: Will home advantage help Cummins and co.?
SRH indeed have the advantage of playing at home, going into the clash with MI. The question that arises, however, is if Cummins and co. will be able to capitalize on it. SRH bowlers bore the brunt of a vicious onslaught at the hands of Andre Russell in the previous game. Only T Natarajan managed to shine amid the battered bowlers as he grabbed three wickets.
IPL’s second most expensive buy and SRH skipper Pat Cummins started off his campaign on a rather disappointing note. The Australian pacer managed to take just one wicket while conceding 32 runs in four overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Marco Jansen, the two SRH veterans, were shown no mercy as they went wicketless and were taken to the cleaners all around the park. SRH’s bowling line-up will have to pull their socks up and be at it if they need to overcome the MI barrier.
In the batting front, SRH’s top-order batted at a very slow pace, with the top three batters playing a run-a-ball knock. It is imperative for the top three batters to play more aggressively in order to get SRH off to a flying start. Heinrich Klaasen will look to continue on his fine form from the game against KKR. Ex-SRH skipper Aiden Markram will also hope to get going after a poor outing in the previous game.
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Can Hardik Pandya’s MI get it all together in Hyderabad?
Hardik Pandya’s captaincy debut for Mumbai Indians was more of a nightmare than anything else, with many questioning his tactics. The team did everything right in the previous game against GT, barring the position of the skipper in the batting order. In the absence of Suryakumar Yadav, MI lack a strong middle-order batter. This could be made up for if Pandya decided to promote himself up the order and play at a position where he has so much experience.
Team India skipper Rohit Sharma looked in good touch in the game against GT, missing out on a well-deserved half-century. With the T20 World Cup fast approaching, Rohit will aim to let his bat do the talking in all games. Ishan Kishan, meanwhile, will look to open his account in IPL 2024.
Jasprit Bumrah, undoubtedly, is the player to watch out for as far as MI’s bowling line-up is concerned. Although skipper Pandya’s tactics were a tad bit questionable in terms of rotating his bowlers, the pacers delivered what was needed.
Editors pick
