IPL 2019: Three things to look out for from SRH vs MI
Mumbai Indians now arrive at the fortress of Sunrisers Hyderabad to take on the Orange Army. Both the teams cruised to victories in their previous encounters and will be upbeat in this game. Traditionally, Sunrisers have been extremely strong at their home ground. Their team strategies have merged seamlessly with the ground conditions. For Mumbai Indians, it will be a stern challenge. A victory here will boost their confidence enormously. Here are three points to ponder upon from this encounter.
1. Stopping Warner and Bairstow
David Warner returned this season after his year-ban. SRH bought the English batsman-wicketkeeper Johnny Bairstow to pair with him. Jointly the Aussie and the Brit are blowing away the opposition. In the last four games, these two have added 118, 110, 185 and 64 for the first wicket. Their influence at the top has been enormous and sending them back to the pavilion early will be MI’s first challenge. With the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Jason Behrendorff opening the bowling, it will be an intriguing contest.
2. Yuvraj Singh- to play or not to play
After being unsold in the primary auction, Mumbai Indians pounced on the opportunity to have Yuvraj Singh in the roster. There were doubts over the capability of the left-hander at this age but MI believed in him. Yuvraj showed promising signs with two knocks against DC and RCB. However, he struggled to score more than run-a-ball in next two matches versus KXIP and CSK. With Ishan Kishan waiting on the bench, Mumbai Indians will have to make a tough decision on Yuvi in the coming match.
3. Williamson conundrum
In the absence of Warner, Kane Williamson stepped up and assumed the captaincy mantle for SRH last year. The New Zealand batsman won the Orange cap as well. This season, an injury forced Williamson out from the opening game. Warner and Bairstow opening combo clicked, Rashid Khan lead the bowling attack and Mohammad Nabi settled himself in the team. With all four foreign spots filled, it’s a headache for SRH now to find a place for Kane Williamson. However, with a struggling middle-order, SRH needs to fit the Kiwi maestro in the team.
