SRH vs MI Match Prediction: Who will win today's IPL 2024 match?
The SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and the Mumbai Indians (MI) came into the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) as two of the outright favorites to finish in the top four, but both teams hit a snag in their respective opening matches. They find themselves deadlocked on zero points ahead of their meeting at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday, March 27.
Interestingly, both SRH and MI squandered winning positions in chases. While the Orange Army got within touching distance of the Kolkata Knight Riders' total thanks to a Heinrich Klaasen blitz, the five-time champions were in control of the chase for the most part.
As fate would have it, though, Harshit Rana and Mohit Sharma produced slower-ball-laden death-bowling performances to stop the two teams in their tracks. That has added some intrigue to an otherwise one-sided clash since MI and SRH now can't afford to drop two games in a row.
What makes it one-sided? Well, MI have won four of their last five clashes against SRH, despite those matches coming in seasons where they have been far from their best.
That said, though, Hyderabad have assembled a strong roster, and Pat Cummins seemed to get most of his tactics spot-on in the previous game as well. If Cummins and Co. can stick to the basics and rely on their strengths, they should be able to give the opposition a run for their money.
Can MI get off the mark in IPL 2024? Or will SRH notch up a win in their first home encounter?
IPL 2024, SRH vs MI: Batting firepower in focus
MI will still be without Suryakumar Yadav, who is yet to receive clearance from the NCA. That takes away a bit of their control over the middle overs, but they do have a great deal of firepower in their ranks.
Hardik Pandya and Co. didn't turn in a great display against the Gujarat Titans in their last game, but Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan will back themselves to stitch together a big opening partnership despite the presence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Dewald Brevis and Hardik himself seemed to be in good nick, and Mumbai could enjoy batting against the SRH bowlers in the middle overs.
On the other hand, Hyderabad were struggling in a tall chase before Heinrich Klaasen vaulted them out of a tricky situation. The big-hitting South African batter won't get many overs of spin from MI, and if they can hit the right lengths against him, he might not be able to produce a match-winning piece of magic.
Overall, Hyderabad did look like the better side in the first game. Given that they're playing at home, where no IPL 2024 team has lost so far, they might even enter the game as the clear favorites.
But Mumbai have a plethora of quality players in their ranks, and Hardik isn't the kind of captain to let a disappointing performance go without making drastic corrections. The MI skipper could come out all guns blazing and lead his team to their first victory of the season.
Prediction: MI to win Match 8 of IPL 2024.