MI vs SRH Prediction: Who will win today’s IPL 2021 match?
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will look to secure their first win in IPL 2021 when they take on Mumbai Indians (MI) at Chepauk on Saturday.
SRH are the only IPL team yet to register a win this season. Whether they have recovered from the scars of their last game remains to be seen. Needing 42 from off 30 balls with eight wickets in hand, the Sunrisers collapsed miserably, losing to Royal Challengers Bangalore by six runs. It was the second instance of SRH botching up a chase in IPL 2021.
Sunrisers skipper David Warner won the toss and chose to bowl first on both occasions. But SRH’s inability to chase down totals, combined with the crumbling nature of the Chepauk wicket, may prompt Warner to contemplate batting first if he wins the toss against MI.
There is a case for winning the toss and batting first in Chennai. Barring an AB de Villiers masterclass on the opening day, no chasing team have managed to win at the venue in IPL 2021.
Although MI were at the wrong end of the De Villiers show, they pulled off a heist of their own against the Kolkata Knight Riders. KKR needed 31 of the last five overs and had six wickets in hand, but MI bowlers choked the batsmen at the death, winning the contest by 10 runs.
SRH and MI were tagged as the two best teams ahead of IPL 2021. Even the head-to-head record suggests there is nothing to choose between them. Both sides have won eight games against each other in the IPL.
IPL 2021: MI vs SRH Match Prediction
MI have a settled line-up, but they may tweak it a bit to suit the turning Chepauk track. Marco Jansen could make way for off-spinner Jayant Yadav. All six of the off-spinner’s IPL scalps have been left-handed batsmen, and Yadav could be used at the start to counter the threat of David Warner.
Although MI are unlikely to tinker with their batting line-up, they would like to see their big guns firing. Rohit Sharma has failed to make the most of his two starts in IPL 2021, while Ishan Kishan has missed out too. The slow nature of the Chennai surface has restrained the likes of Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard from hitting big.
As MI head into the game with a settled side, SRH have a selection headache. Two failed chase efforts have seen Kane Williamson’s stock rise exponentially, but it is unclear whether the Kiwi skipper will be fit for the game.
One way to add experience to SRH's middle-order could be to push Jonny Bairstow to open the innings and replace Wriddhiman Saha with Kedhar Jadhav. The veteran batsman has experience of playing in Chennai and could add solidity to the Sunrisers' middle-order.
The rest of the SRH line-up should remain the same. Rashid Khan will be tasked with keeping the MI batsmen in check. His economy rate of 5.20 against MI is the best by an active bowler against an IPL opposition.
Pressure will also be high on Manish Pandey to play a match-winning role for SRH. He has batted 30-plus balls 14 times in the last four seasons, with SRH losing on 11 occasions.
Many would have raised their eyebrows if MI were pegged as favorites against SRH on a turning Chepauk track before the IPL 2021 started. But on present form, MI are likely to win the contest. They managed to beat KKR, despite none of their premier players firing and ran RCB close in the other one. Expect MI to win against SRH on Saturday.
Prediction: MI to win