Hyderabad: IPL-11 may only be six matches old but it has already witnessed plenty of drama. Sunrisers Hyderabad started the season on the wrong foot as their captain David Warner got tangled in a ball tampering row in South Africa.
His subsequent one-year ban robbed Hyderabad of their inspiration in the middle. An expert hit the nail on the head when he said: “Sunrisers without Warner is almost as big as Barcelona without Messi.”
In came Kiwi Kane Williamson for his Antipodean neighbour. Contrary to allround scepticism, SRH proved there was life in the absence of the talismanic Warner with a commendable win over Rajasthan Royals. The message was loud and clear: the Orange Army wasn’t about one man.
Meanwhile, defending champions Mumbai Indians are in Hyderabad following a heavy home defeat at the hands of Chennai Super Kings. The visitors would look to get more from their batsmen who could manage only 165 on a batting-friendly Wankhede wicket.
Openers — Rohit Sharma (15) and Evin Lewis (0) — fell cheaply and the visitors would want their skipper and the destructive West Indian to get back among the runs. The biggest takeaway Mumbai could draw from the opener was the fine performance of their middle order — Ishan Kishan (40), Surya Kumar Yadav (43), Hardik Pandya (22*) and Krunal Pandya (41).
Mumbai now have the onerous task of facing the league’s best bowling side on Thursday. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul and lanky speedster Billy Stanlake make Hyderabad formidable. Meanwhile, the addition of Shakib Al Hasan has added teeth to the home side’s spin attack, which already boasts of Rashid Khan. Siddarth, Shakib and Rashid together conceded just 63 runs in 12 overs against RR.
Hyderabad’s batting too has got depth with Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan and Shakib in the middle order. Rashid and Bhuvi can also be handy down the order. Wriddhiman Saha would be itching to score runs while Shikhar Dhawan and Williamson will look to start from where they left off against Rajasthan.
Talking about Mumbai’s bowling, their big three of Mitchell McClenaghan (11.0 economy), Mustafizur Rahman (10.17) and Jasprit Bumrah (9.25) proved too expensive. To add to their misery, Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the tourney with a back injury. However, in 20-year-old Mayank Markande, Mumbai have found a new lethal weapon.
When Mumbai visited Hyderabad last, they edged Rising Pune Supergiants in the final to win the IPL trophy, but this time they have the hosts who have got a better winning percentage at home. The visitors have a daunting task of breaching the fortress of a charged-up Orange Army.
