It is still relatively early in the Indian Premier League season but neither Sunrisers Hyderabad nor Mumbai Indians will want to lose when they meet in Monday’s match in the tournament in Hyderabad.
Both sides have had their struggles this season and whoever loses this one will officially be playing catch up and even with plenty of matches left that is a position nobody wants to be in especially in a high class field such as this one.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Hyderabad have lost both matches in the tournament to date and they need something to change if they are to turn around their fortunes. That change is likely to need to come in the batting where there is very much a Dave Warner and Eoin Morgan or nothing feel to it but then again their bowlers haven’t covered themselves in glory either.
Sunrisers shipped more than 220 against Bangalore in their opening match and their bowlers never truly landed a blow against Kolkata last time out so there is plenty of improvement for the Sunrisers to make.
Mumbai Indians
The only consistency the defending champions have delivered so far in the tournament is inconsistency. They began the tournament with a dismal performance against the Rising Pune Supergiants before coming from the clouds to beat Kolkata but they were back to disappointing against the Gujarat Lions at the weekend.
Batting has been an issue for the Indians which is a surprise given that they bat on one of the best batting wickets in the country. In both their home matches they have put up low totals but in Kolkata they buzzed away with the bat so maybe being away from the Wankhede will suit them here.
Team news
The Sunrisers simply have to change something to find some solidity from somewhere. Shikhar Dhawan’s form is becoming a real concern but he is likely to be given another chance here. Moises Henriques has offered little in the tournament to date and he could make way for someone like Trent Boult. Yuvraj Singh and Kane Williamson remain sidelined.
Mumbai Indians have a couple of selection issues of their own. They need something to happen with their batting line up and with Kieron Pollard not bowling it wouldn’t be a surprise if Martin Guptill comes in at the top of the order with Rohit Sharma reverting to the middle order where he has batted for Mumbai in the past.
Form
Sunrisers Hyderabad: LL
Mumbai Indians: LWL
Head to head: Sunrisers Hyderabad 1-5 Mumbai Indians
In Hyderabad: Sunrisers Hyderabad 0-3 Mumbai Indians
Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium
This will be the second match on this ground in the space of three days so it remains to be seen what state the pitch is in. It might be that the match is played on the same wicket in which case you’ve got to think there will be a bit of spin.
Usually the wicket is good for both batsmen and bowlers. Bowlers get pace and bounce and the batsmen get a ball which is coming onto the bat. The boundaries are fairly big here so hitting sixes isn’t easy but a lightning fast outfield provides full value for shots.
Betting
All things being equal Mumbai Indians look like good things here but they are a little short for me in their current form and if Sunrisers can work their order around so that Warner and Morgan get some help from somewhere it could be that the home side are very competitive.
Both these sides have reputations for beginning the season slowly and that doesn’t help us when it comes to betting so I’ll leave the match outcome alone here I think.
The bet that interests me the most here is Mitchell McClenaghan and his performance line. The target is 26 which is one of those nasty looking ones for a T20 match but when you look a little deeper it might not be high enough.
The New Zealand international took three wickets in both meetings with the Sunrisers last season and he comes into this match off the back of a four wicket haul in Mumbai of all places so he is bowling really well at present.
The best way for us to get this line covered is if he takes two wickets. That is perfectly possible based on recent performances this season and against this opponent but in Kolkata he was shoved up the order to biff the spinners and if that happens again we could get away with him only needing one wicket, if he needs that at all.
All things considered I think a line of 26 looks a little low especially considering the times he bowls and the fact Hyderabad’s batting line up isn’t pulling up any trees. I’ll take the overs.
Tips
Back M.McClenaghan’s Performance Pts – 26&Over for a 4/10 stake at 1.91 with Bet365
Back it here:
