SRH vs MI: Top five player battles for watch out for in Hyderabad

Sunrisers Hyderabad will look to continue their fine form in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) when they take on Mumbai Indians at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Saturday.

Hyderabad have won three out of their four matches and have been one of the teams of the opening stages of the tournament. As for Mumbai, they have once again made a slow start and have won two out of four matches.

Few of the top names in world cricket will be in action in Hyderabad and here are some of the big player battles to keep an eye out for –

Rohit Sharma vs Sandeep Sharma

The contest between two Sharma’s will definitely be one of the top battles within this big war. MI skipper Rohit Sharma has been in good form as he has had starts in matches but the right-hander hasn’t managed to convert it into a big score yet. Things won’t get easier against Hyderabad as he will have to come up against medium-pacer Sandeep Sharma, who has caused problems for him in the past. Rohit has scored just 21 runs off 28 deliveries against him and has lost his wicket twice.

Kieron Pollard vs Rashid Khan

All-rounder Kieron Pollard has struggled in the opening stages of the competition but he will look to return to form against Hyderabad. In order to do so, he will have to deal with SRH spinners especially Rashid Khan, against whom he doesn’t enjoy a good record. Against Rashid, Pollard’s strike-rate drops down to 52.9 and he has also been dismissed once by the Afghan superstar before.

David Warner vs Mitchell McClenaghan

With two fifties and one century in four innings, David Warner has been setting the league alight with some magnificent hitting. Against Mumbai, Warner will have to come up against left-arm pacer Mitchell McClenaghan against whom, the southpaw hasn’t been as productive as he would have liked. Warner has been dismissed couple of times by McClenaghan in the past but one good thing for the Australian is that his strike-rate goes up to 157.5 against the Kiwi in IPL.

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Jonny Bairstow vs Jasprit Bumrah

Like Warner, SRH opener Jonny Bairstow is also going through a purple patch that has seen him being placed just below the Australian in the orange cap list. But things aren’t going to be as easy against Mumbai as he will have to come up against Jasprit Bumrah, who has been the pick of the bowlers for the three-time champions. The two haven’t faced each other in the league previously and it will be interesting to see how the two superstars will look to cancel out each other’s influence in the match.

Manish Pandey vs Hardik Pandya

Middle-order batsman Manish Pandey looks like a shadow of his previous self this season as he hasn’t been able to recreate the magic of the past. Pandey will have to deal with Mumbai all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who enjoys a stellar record against the SRH batsman. Not only has Pandya dismissed the right-hander twice previously, the MI star has also kept Pandey quiet by giving away just 13 runs off 11 deliveries.

First Published: Apr 06, 2019 16:58 IST