In what could be a tussle between two very even teams, the Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad will battle it out at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in Game 10 of IPL 2017 on Wednesday. Both teams are coming into the game on the back of victories in their respective previous games, albeit contrasting ones.
Sunrisers have been the best team in the competition so far. Barring Shikhar Dhawan, each of the top four in the batting order has registered a half-century this season and that has meant that the opposition bowlers have chased leather.
In the bowling, the show has been led by Rashid Khan, the 18-year-old leg-spinner from Afghanistan, who has captured the imagination of all. The young man has been well supported by the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ashish Nehra and that has made them a formidable unit. Their bowling unit could be bolstered further if Mustafizur Rahman returns to the fold on Tuesday.
On the other hand, the Mumbai Indians have had a mixed start to their competition, having lost their opening game despite having put a competitive total on the board, and then coming back to win the second game against the Kolkata Knight Riders at home.
On the batting front, Nitish Rana proved to be the surprise performer for the side, scoring a half-century while Hardik Pandya showed that he could a reliable finisher in the future, guiding his side to a win in the last over of the game.
Extra Cover: IPL 2017 MI vs SRH: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) Probable playing XI against Mumbai Indians (MI)
In the bowling, Krunal Pandya proved to be the hero, picking up three wickets to stem the flow of runs of the Knight Riders.
Prediction:
If MI bat first
Prediction: 170+
With the presence of some explosive players in their ranks, the Mumbai Indians could make use of the shorter boundaries at the Wankhede and post a big total on the board. Critically for them, Rohit Sharma will need to open the innings and give himself 20 overs to bat which would give him the chance to stand up and put a tall score on the board.
If SRH bat first
Prediction: 180+
With the likes of Warner, Henriques and Yuvraj in the top four, the Sunrisers will look to make good use of the conditions on offer at the Wankhede. The venue also presents an opportunity to Dhawan to get some runs under his belt.
Predicted winner: With the form that they are currently in, the Sunrisers Hyderabad look like the favourites to come out trumps in this game.
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