The final league game in this IPL will see the defending champions taking on the Sunrisers Hyderabad in Sharjah. Kieron Pollard led MI has already qualified as the no.1 team from the league stages and will get 2 shots at the finals. It will be an important game for the David Warner and SRH as a win here would confirm their place in the playoffs by the virtue of a superior run rate. So there are lots at stake here in this final league game.
MI is comfortably placed in this tournament and easily the team to beat. They have been the best and most dominant side in this IPL. With a top-2 certain, they may look to rest a few of their main players but still, they will be strong. MI beat DC convincingly by 9 wickets in their last game. They restricted them to a paltry 110 with Bumrah and Boult taking 3 apiece. Ishan Kishan scored a brilliant 75 which meant MI chased down the target in 14 overs.
SRH will have an opportunity to qualify for playoffs if they can beat Mumbai Indians in what is going to be a mouth-watering contest. The men in orange have won their last 2 games in a dominating fashion but this will be their hardest test yet. They restricted RCB to a small total of 120 thanks to a disciplined effort from the bowlers. The return of Saha seems to have boosted them as he has made an immediate difference in the top of the order and played a vital role in the chase scoring 39.
Key Players
Batsman – Quinton De Kock, Ishan Kishan, David Warner, and Wriddhiman Saha.
The ever consistent David Warner has been among runs this time as well and SRH will be wanting him to score in this consequential game. Saha has just 3 games but already created a major impact for SRH and his experience will be valuable for them in this game. Quinton De Kock has been the most consistent batsman for MI and is their highest run-scorer this season. His makeshift opening partner Ishan Kishan has been in amazing form as of late with good outings in the last 3 games as an opener. He is also the 2nd highest run-getter for Mumbai Indians this year. With Rohit likely to miss out on this game too, the duo will once again be looked at to provide good starts.
All Rounder- Rashid Khan, Jason Holder, Krunal Pandya, and Kieron Pollard.
Krunal Pandya has had a mediocre IPL compared to the other MI players and will want to step up. Kieron Pollard has led well as a captain but hasn’t had that many opportunities to showcase his brilliance with bat or with the ball which might be vital in playoffs. So he and MI will hope that he will get some time with the bat before playoffs. Jason holder has been a useful addition to the SRH set up and his experience will come in handy for them. He has already picked 8 wickets from just 4 games. Rashid Khan is having a sensational tournament with the ball in hand having taken 18 wickets at an ER of 5.07. In addition to his bowling, he is a good batman as well.
Bowlers – Sandeep Sharma, T Natarajan, Rahul Chahar, and Jasprit Bumrah.
Sandeep Sharma is one of the underrated performers for SRH this season with 10 wickets from as many games. He has given them breakthroughs in the powerplays fairly regularly and they will hope he does this again this game. T Natarajan in addition to his yorking abilities has been a genuine wicket-taker with 14 scalps at an ER of 7.88 which is more than decent as a death bowler. Rahul Chahar has been impressive in this tournament and could be a handful in this game. Jasprit Bumrah has come back to the rhythm which is good not only for MI but also for India. He is in line to be a possible winner of the purple cap with 23 wickets this season.
Battles to look forward
- Jason Holder vs Ishan Kishan
- Jasprit Bumrah vs David Warner
- Rashid Khan vs Kieron Pollard
Jason Holder is a very good new-ball bowler and his swing, variations could come in handy against the likes of Kishan who is a dangerous customer. Jasprit Bumrah has been in terrific form with the ball after an indifferent beginning and is in the race to be a winner of the purple cap. He could very well threaten the SRH openers especially Warner. Kieron Pollard has been required to bat for the last couple of games and could be rusty. Rashid Khan could be a potential wrecker in chief as far as Pollard’s wicket is concerned.
Head to Head between MI and SRH.
- Matches Played: 15
- SRH Won: 7
- MI won: 8
Significant Approaching Milestones.
78- Surya Kumar Yadav needs 78 more runs to score 2000 IPL runs.
27- Kieron Pollard needs further 27 runs to reach 3000 runs in IPL.
14- Krunal Pandya needs 14 more runs to score 1000 IPL runs.
79- Wriddhiman Saha needs 79 more runs to score 2000 IPL runs.
Match conditions
Venue: Sharjah cricket stadium, Sharjah.
Date & Timings: November 3, 2020, at 7.30 PM IST.
Weather: Clear with the temperature around 29 C.
Pitch: Likely to be a batting surface and slowing down with possible due later on.
