IPL 2018: SRH vs MI, Mumbai Indians (MI) today's probable playing 11 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
The Dwayne Bravo-led heist in the opening game would have crushed their hearts, but the Mumbai Indians are notorious for being poor starters in the IPL, and wouldn't be overly concerned with the one-wicket loss, as they look to get their campaign back on track. They will face the Sunrisers Hyderabad, who had a solid start to their season, thumping Rajasthan Royals with ease.
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For starters, Mumbai would want Rohit Sharma to get his act together - the opener looked out of sorts against Deepak Chahar's testing lines and he could be in for something far more menacing from Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the opening overs.
With an untested top-order featuring the likes of Ishan Kishan and Evin Lewis for company, the onus will be on him to soak up most of the pressure. While Lewis couldn't get going on his IPL debut, Kishan shone for his second IPL franchise in their opening game.
The middle-order has enough firepower to give ISRO's missiles competition, at least on paper. Suryakumar Yadav was in fine nick in the previous game, unleashing some classy, conventional strokes on his way to a 29-ball 40, forging a crucial stand with Kishan that set the tone for the innings. Sustaining him at the No.4 slot seems to be the way forward for the Mumbai side.
At No.5 is the golden-streaked, tattoo-brandishing Hardik Pandya, who, despite limping on one foot, bowled his heart out in the opening game. With the bat, he was back to doing what he does best, chipping in with a useful cameo.
Behind him walks out his elder brother, Krunal, who has made a name for himself as a more-than-useful all-rounder despite having not played for India yet. While Kieron Pollard did not get to bat in the CSK game, you can trust the West Indian to come out hammer and tongs when the need arises. His bowling, however, has diminished to nil as the years have progressed.
The bowling department, as a whole, must be still licking their wounds after the unexpected onslaught at the hands of Bravo. Mitchell McClenaghan looked a tad jaded, and Jasprit Bumrah was manhandled like a fresher in a college canteen. McClenaghan gave away as many as 44 runs in his quota of four, while Bumrah gave away 37. Both are likely to retain their places though.
Mustafizur Rahman, having spent the last few months getting back to full fitness, was back to hurling his nagging off-cutters and split-finger whatnots, confounding batsmen with the lack of pace in his deliveries.
The find of the match, however, was Mayank Markande, a little-known leggie from Punjab, a former India U-19 player, and an entity for the future. He bamboozled half the Chennai side with his variations, including MS Dhoni, who couldn't pick a googly and was caught right in front of the stumps. The kind of stability that he lends to the side, despite being an uncapped player, could make him a regular feature in days to come.