Sunrisers Hyderabad has the opportunity to book a place in the playoffs by beating Mumbai Indians on Tuesday.
It has gone down to the wire in IPL 2020 for places in playoffs. Three teams have sealed the qualification before the final league game of the season. The outcome of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) clash against Mumbai Indians (MI) on November 3 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
A victory for SRH on Tuesday will take them to third place in the table. MI has sealed the top position in the table, so this game is a dead rubber for them. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) would want MI to win against SRH to qualify for playoffs, so it is between KKR and SRH for the final spot in the top four.
SRH has not been consistent with the bat throughout the tournament. The introduction of Wriddhiman Saha at the top of the order has brought stability to the batting unit. David Warner has found his mojo back in the last couple of games. However, other batsmen will have to step up to get a victory against a strong MI bowling unit.
MI is likely to rotate the team heavily to give rest to important players. Quinton de Kock may pave the way for Chris Lynn, while Rohit Sharma may get a chance to prove his witness in a less intense game. Despite changes, MI has enough quality in the squad to come in and bat well in a small Sharjah stadium.
There could be few changes in the bowling lineup too. The fringe bowlers could get a chance to impress before the playoffs. Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah may get a breather, which is good news for SRH since this duo has picked up combined 43 wickets in IPL this season. Rahul Chahar will be the bowler to watch in this game as the young spinner continues to impress for MI.
Bowling has been the strength of SRH in IPL 2020. Rashid Khan has been the talisman for Hyderabad as he delivers economical spells along with crucial breakthroughs at regular intervals. Khan’s good form has rubbed off on other players as they have also chipped in with wickets despite losing Bhuvaneshwar Kumar to serious injury at the start of the season.
The whole KKR squad will be keenly following Tuesday’s game. The initiative is with SRH to make sure that they can back up the good work done in the last couple of weeks. On the other hand, MI would like to go into the playoffs on a strong note by delivering a commanding performance on Tuesday.
By Kiran Thakare