IPL 2021 Match 31 - SRH vs MI: Preview, probable XI, match prediction, live streaming, weather forecast, and pitch report
The IPL 2021 game between KKR and RCB, which was scheduled to be held on Monday, got postponed after two members of the Kolkata team tested positive for COVID-19. With two members of the CSK team also testing positive, there were calls from various quarters to cancel the tournament.
However, the BCCI maintained that the tournament would continue and that there wouldn't be any other fixture postponements. Therefore, Match 31 of IPL 2021 between the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and the Mumbai Indians (MI) should take place as scheduled, on Tuesday, 4th May, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
The SRH management received a lot of flak from furious fans after David Warner was sacked as captain and benched for their game against Rajasthan Royals. The change in captaincy didn't work any magic for SRH as they crumbled to a 55-run defeat at the hands of the Rajasthan franchise.
Kane Williamson's tactic of using Rashid Khan in the powerplay and bowling him out by the 11th over backfired, with Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson gathering momentum in the second half of their innings. Mohammad Nabi, who replaced Warner, was given just one over with the ball and it came too late in the game to have any impact.
Jos Buttler took the SRH bowlers to the cleaners, and his 64-ball 124 meant that SRH had to chase a mammoth 221 to win the match. They never looked comfortable in the run chase and kept losing wickets at regular intervals, with Williamson falling for a 21-ball 20.
SRH need to assess the conditions better and apply themselves in the remainder of the games if they want to stand a chance of making it to the playoffs.
MI, meanwhile, come into this match on the back of a thrilling win over CSK. Kieron Pollard's 34-ball 87 blew the CSK bowlers away and secured a phenomenal triumph for MI, who were chasing 219. He also contributed with the ball, picking up two wickets at an economy rate of 2.00.
MI now have four wins from seven IPL 2021 games and look to be back to their best. They will look to extend their winning momentum and climb into the top two spots on the points table.
IPL 2021: SRH vs MI Match Details
Date: 4th May 2021 (Tuesday).
Time: 7:30 PM IST.
Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.
Weather Forecast
It should be another hot and humid evening in Delhi, with an average temperature of around 37 degrees celsius.
Pitch Report
The wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium have been belters so far, with the batters making the most of the short boundaries. Another high-scoring encounter can be expected.
Predicted XIs
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
With every game a must-win from here on, SRH should make some changes ahead of this match. Jason Holder could come in place of Mohammad Nabi to help solve their death bowling woes. Priyam Garg could also replace Kedar Jadhav to strengthen their weak middle-order.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH): Jonny Bairstow (WK), Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson(C), Vijay Shankar, Priyam Garg/ Kedar Jadhav, Abdul Samad, Mohammad Nabi/ Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, and Sandeep Sharma/ Siddharth Kaul.
Mumbai Indians
MI haven't regularly made too many changes in the past few seasons, but they have tinkered with their team a little bit in IPL 2021 according to the conditions. Piyush Chawla could come in for Dhawal Kulkarni and Nathan Coulter-Nile could come back in place of Jimmy Neesham.
Mumbai Indians (MI): Quinton De Kock (WK), Rohit Sharma (C), Suryakumar Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, James Neesham/ Nathan Coulter-Nile, Piyush Chawla/ Dhawal Kulkarni, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, and Jasprit Bumrah.
IPL 2021: SRH vs MI Match Prediction
An out-of-sorts SRH team should find it really hard to beat the Mumbai Indians, who seem to be discovering their form now. Rohit Sharma and Co. can be expected to make it three successive wins against SRH.
Prediction: MI to win.
IPL 2021: SRH vs MI TV and Live Streaming Details
TV: Star Sports Network.
Live Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar VIP.