Mumbai Indians are the in-form team of the tournament and sit at the top of the table after 11 games with nine wins and two losses and have already qualified for the play-offs. The fact that they have achieved the aforementioned without major contributions from their skipper and star player, Rohit Sharma, shows the kind of quality players Mumbai have at their disposal.
They are on the back of a 146-run win over Delhi Daredevils this past weekend and would take on the defending champions, Sunrisers Hyderabad, with a lot more confidence. That said, the game is in Hyderabad, which is the home side's fortress and that won’t make it an easy task for Mumbai.
We take a look at the probable playing XI for the Mumbai Indians in tonight's encounter.
Lendl Simmons
After warming the bench for most of the season due to the inclusion of Jos Buttler, Lendl Simmons hit the ground running in the previous game with a good looking half-century that won him the Man of the Match award. The West Indian batsman was a major player for Mumbai last season and from his performance on Saturday, he could be a big factor in the remainder of the season which includes the play-offs.
Parthiv Patel
The pocket-sized wicket-keeper batsman has continued to revel in his opening duties this season and has played quite a few timely big knocks. On other occasions, he has provided the team with good starts. If he could get past Bhuvneshwar Kumar's opening spell, Patel could cause some worry in the Hyderabad camp.
Nitish Rana
The find of the tournament for Mumbai Indians, if not India, Nitish Rana has been a revelation at no.3. Although the runs have dried up a touch in the last few games, Rana has been a man on a mission and has more than made up for Rohit Sharma's lack of form. Being a leftie, Rana will benefit from the Sunrisers spinners turning the ball into him.
Rohit Sharma
The 'Hitman' has sorely missed out this season after demoting himself to the no.4 spot. The flair and flamboyance of last season have vanished after having to face spinners right from the time he walks in. He has struggled against leg-spinners and Rashid Khan had the better of him last time. However, his season is slowly improving and the battle with Rashid could be one to watch out for.
Kieron Pollard
The West Indian has been in decent touch this season for Mumbai with some valuable contributions in crunch games. Walking in at three in the previous game, Pollard hammered 63 in 35 balls with four sixes to propel his side beyond 200. Hyderabad have a slew of cunning death bowlers though and it will be interesting to see how Pollard goes.
Hardik Pandya
The Pandya brothers have once again hogged the limelight with their on-field performances this season. While Krunal is still out injured, Hardik has been a more than decent finisher for Mumbai. Used sparingly with the ball except in seamer friendly conditions, Pandya's job will be to accelerate the innings towards the end alongside Pollard. He has done that quite well this season.
Karn Sharma
Krunal Pandya's replacement, Karn Sharma has churned in quite a few outings including an impressive spell of 3/11 in the last game against Delhi. Largely restricted to the bench, Mumbai seem to have found a way to use the leggie much better than Hyderabad did in the previous years. Against his former side, Karn will have a point or two to prove.
Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan had his best outing of the season with figures of 3/22 in the last game against Delhi. On a Hyderabad wicket where spinners have had reasonable success, Harbhajan will play a vital role for Mumbai. He might be pushed to open the attack given Warner's woes against off-spin.
Mitchell McClenaghan
The Kiwi seamer has enjoyed quite a lot of success in the seamer friendly wickets this IPL. With pace and bounce as his prime weapons, McClenaghan's job will be to get as many early wickets as possible. He had a forgettable outing in the previous encounter of the season between these two sides, going for 42 in four overs for just a wicket. The Kiwi will hope to turn that around.
Jasprit Bumrah
The death over specialist, Jasprit Bumrah has more often than not delivered consistent performances at the fag end of the inning. With an ability to bowl pinpoint yorkers and a slew of slower balls, Bumrah's super over performance against Gujarat won him many admirers. He has had the habit of overstepping though and will need to keep his foot well inside that line.
Lasith Malinga
Dumped after some lacklustre performances in the middle of the tournament, the Sri Lankan has come back and delivered more consistently ever since. The pace is still up there and the yorkers are as accurate as ever but with batsmen having found ways of tackling Malinga, the death over specialist will need to update his repertoire.
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