Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad Predictions: Mumbai needs to win the game to have their playoff chances alive.

Playing in their fourteenth and last game of the season Mumbai Indians will welcome Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 69th game of the season at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on 21st May. Mumbai needs to win the game to have their playoff chances alive. Who will win this game?

The Mumbai Indians are in need of a swift recovery following their recent loss. In the previous game, they fell short by 11 runs, unable to score the required runs from the last over despite having Tim David and Cameron Green at the crease. Surprisingly, they managed only 5 runs in that crucial over bowled by the relatively inexperienced Mohsin Khan. This failure from the key Mumbai Indians batters, Nehal Wadhera and Suryakumar Yadav prevented their chase from gaining momentum.

However, there is some positive news regarding the batting form of captain Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan, who performed well at the top of the order. What the Mumbai Indians truly need is a strong contribution from their finishers. It's important to note that a mere victory in this match will not be enough; they must win convincingly. This is where star batsmen Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit Sharma need to step up. While the Mumbai bowling attack has struggled to contain runs for the majority of the season, there have been signs of improvement lately.

In the previous game, the Mumbai bowlers succeeded in taking wickets during the powerplay. Against the Sunrisers, they will have to maintain their effectiveness in the death overs as well to counter the lower middle-order firepower of their opponents. Akash Madhwal will play a crucial role in this aspect, delivering high-quality overs towards the end of the innings. Piyush Chawla has been the go-to bowler for Mumbai when they are in search of wickets, particularly in the middle overs. Although Behrendorff has been performing well, Chris Jordan has been conceding a significant number of runs.

Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Nehal Wadhera, Tim David, Hrithik Shokeen, Chris Jordan, Piyush Chawla, Jason Behrendorff, Akash Madhwal

In their previous encounter against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the Sunrisers Hyderabad team seemed to be in a dominant position. Klaasen's century propelled the Sunrisers to a total of 186 runs while batting first. However, the target proved inadequate as Faf du Plessis and the dynamic Virat Kohli found their form. The pitch in Hyderabad provided a favourable batting surface, and the Sunrisers can anticipate a similar track at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

For Hyderabad to have any hopes of defeating the Mumbai Indians, key players like T Natarajan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will need to deliver their best performances. While it has generally been advantageous to chase on this track, the Sunrisers cannot solely rely on their batsmen. The Mumbai bowling attack has shown resilience, as demonstrated in their recent match against the table-topping Gujarat Titans. The Sunrisers heavily rely on their overseas players to post a competitive score.

If someone like Piyush Chawla can dismiss Klaasen and Markram during the middle overs, it will undoubtedly pose a significant challenge for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. They will realize that pursuing a target on this pitch might not be as straightforward as they initially thought. Therefore, their bowling unit must excel. Currently, their bowlers have been expensive, and they lack reliable wicket-taking options. They are heavily dependent on the batting form of their overseas players.

Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram (c), Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Harry Brook, Glenn Phillips, Abdul Samad, Kartik Tyagi, Mayank Dagar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nitish Reddy

The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai is expected to provide an ideal batting condition for this game. The pitch is known to favour batsmen, with the ball coming onto the bat nicely. Local stars like Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav have previously showcased their batting prowess on this surface, making them ones to watch in this match. The weather is forecasted to have occasional clouds, with temperatures around 33 degrees during the game. Dew is not expected to be a factor on this pitch. The new ball bowlers may find some movement early on in the innings. Day games at the Wankhede Stadium generally offer more opportunities for defending totals compared to night matches. A score of 190 runs or higher can be considered competitive on this track. Mumbai Indians are expected to win the game.