Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad get into Thursday's crucial clash with both needing a win to build up momentum and climb up the points table. Both Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad are at the bottom of the points table with four points each.
But more importantly, both are coming into this encounter after winning their last match -- MI beat Delhi Capitals by 12 runs while SRH hammered Punjab Kings by eight wickets chasing the highest-ever total of 245/6. SRH won their first match after losing four games in a row.
As the two sides get ready for a crucial clash at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai Indians' lower-order batter Naman Dhir said they need to win more matches and will take each gameh as their first of the tournament.
We take every match as a fresh start and like you all know, we need to win more matches. So, we are taking every match as it is our first game of the tournament and we want to win every match. So, it is one match at a time for us.
The 25-year-old right-handed batter and right-arm off-break bowler said the win against DC was much needed for Mumbai and his team will take lot of confidence from it.
"Definitely, the win was much needed and the way we came back in that match is incredible. (Good effort) by the fielders, bowlers," said Naman Dhir.
Both teams are struggling for consistency. Mumbai Indians will be hoping that their bowling unit will be able to contain the rampaging top-order batters of the Sunrisers Hyderabad, especially Abhishek Sharma, who hammered the highest individual score by an Indian batter when he scored 141 off 55 balls against Punjab Kings.
Travis Head too did well by scoring a half-century. Ishan Kishan scored a hundred in their first match but has since failed to score a big one.
Mumbai Indians, the five-time winners, will be hoping that Bumrah, Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner, and Hardik Pandya will be able to halt the SRH batters.
On the batting front, MI will be expecting a big one from Rohit Sharma, their most experienced batter. Ryan Rickelton has managed only one half-century so far while Suryakumar Yadav has made some vital contributions emerging as their top scorer so far.
Both teams have faced off in 23 matches so far with Mumbai Indians winning 13 and Sunrisers 10. With the wicket at the Wankhede stadium expected to offer bounce and short boundaries, another high-scoring contest seems on the cards. The bowlers' performance can turn out to be very crucial.
Probable playing XIs: Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (capt), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Karn Sharma
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Aniket Verma, Abhinav Manohar, Pat Cummins (capt), Harshal Patel, Mohammed Shami, Eshan Malinga.
