"They are a beast on this ground" - Aakash Chopra picks Mumbai Indians as favorites for IPL 2023 clash vs SunRisers Hyderabad

Aakash Chopra reckons the Mumbai Indians (MI) have the edge heading into their IPL 2023 clash against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH).

The two sides will lock horns at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in the afternoon game on Sunday, May 21. Rohit Sharma and Co. need to win the match to have any chance of qualifying for the playoffs.

While previewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that the Mumbai Indians' batting might on their home ground makes them the favorites, elaborating:

"Mumbai did drop the last match but it was a close game against Lucknow. But other than that, their batting is doing well and they are a beast on this ground, their batting becomes monstrous, so I feel the scale is tilted towards Mumbai."

The former Indian opener believes the Mumbai Indians will look to win the game on the back of their batting, stating:

"Once again they are going to go with their batting-heavy unit and hope that their batting fires because when their batting fires, the class is evident."

Suryakumar Yadav (486) and Ishan Kishan (425) are MI's top run-getters in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League. Although none of their other batters have aggregated more than 300 runs, all of them have played match-defining knocks in crunch moments.

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"The performance has been very iffy" - Aakash Chopra on SunRisers Hyderabad's issues heading into Mumbai Indians clash

Heinrich Klaasen has been like a lone warrior for the SunRisers Hyderabad with the bat. [P/C: iplt20.com]

On the flip side, Aakash Chopra highlighted the SunRisers Hyderabad's issues heading into their final game of the tournament, observing:

"Hyderabad are not playing the way they should. The performance has been very iffy, whether it was Abhishek Sharma's over against LSG or the way Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis bashed them up. From whichever angle you see this team, you feel they have slightly less might."

The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that Heinrich Klaasen has been the only saving grace for the visitors in the batting department, saying:

"Apart from Klaasen, the might is not seen in the batting. Aiden Markram is misfiring, Harry Brook is moved up and down the order. You don't play Glenn Phillips too many matches and when you play him, you send him too low in the order."

MI defeated SRH by 14 runs in the reverse fixture. Mumbai will be hoping to register an emphatic win against Hyderabad at home to put pressure on the Royal Challengers Bangalore, who will face Gujarat Titans later on Sunday.