MI vs SRH Match Prediction: Who will win today's IPL 2024 match?
The reverse fixture, when the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) made a mockery of the Mumbai Indians (MI) bowling to post the highest total in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL), feels like ages ago.
Since then, SRH have broken their own record, suffered a dip in form, and recovered with a thrilling win over the Rajasthan Royals (RR). Meanwhile, MI have tried their best to arrest their slump but have only gone from weakness to weakness, with their latest defeat to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at home painting an ugly picture of where they stand right now.
Hyderabad are well and truly in the playoff race, with six wins from 10 matches. The Orange Army are placed fourth and will want a victory in their final away game of the league stage to put some pressure on the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who are currently third.
Mumbai are virtually out, but they have pride to play for. The five-time IPL champions are a decorated franchise, and being embarrassed in the way they have been so far in IPL 2024 won't sit right with the players and the team management.
Can Pat Cummins and Co. silence another home crowd? Or will the Mumbai Indians finally wake up?
IPL 2024, MI vs SRH Win Probability: Close contest on the cards
Even though MI have been hugely disappointing so far in IPL 2024, their clash against SRH isn't easy to predict.
The SunRisers' batting fragilities have been exposed in the last few games. When Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen and Abhishek Sharma haven't got going, the Orange Army haven't been able to do enough with the bat even though Nitish Kumar Reddy has put the team on his back a couple of times.
Rahul Tripathi, Anmolpreet Singh and Mayank Agarwal have flopped, while Shahbaz Ahmed doesn't offer enough to the side in either department. If MI can produce a couple of early breakthroughs in the powerplay, Hyderabad could struggle.
The Wankhede Stadium produced a bowler-friendly wicket in the last game, and if that happens, both teams will need to rethink their team combinations. MI might want to bring Mohammad Nabi back to threaten the SRH opening pair, while Cummins might want former Mumbai leggie Mayank Markande in his ranks.
Mumbai's fortunes could hinge heavily on their opening pair, with both Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan enduring a lean run lately. Things won't be easy against the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan, and SRH have the options needed to continue the strangle in the middle overs.
On the whole, the two teams are evenly matched on paper, even if their displays so far in IPL 2024 haven't reflected that. While anything could happen on Monday, SRH might start as the slight favorites.
Prediction: SRH to win Match 55 of IPL 2024.