While five-time champions Mumbai suffered a six-run loss to Gujarat Titans for their 12th straight loss in the tournament opener, 2016 champions Hyderabad nearly pulled off a high-scoring thriller before falling short by four runs against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).Slow starters Sunrisers have lost seven of their 10 opening fixtures since their debut in 2013 and two of them came against KKR.
Both teams have new captains, who are desperate to prove a point, especially the visiting captain Hardik Pandya, who has copped a lot of flak ever since he replaced Rohit Sharma at the helm.
Pandya’s moves against Gujarat Titans raised eyebrows and MI batting coach Kieron Pollard justified the skipper’s decision to bat at No. 7 as a “collective decision.”
There is no doubting his leadership ability as Pandya has guided Titans to title victory in their inaugural season (2022) and to the final in the next. But he is desperate to win back the fans’ approval and he knows that it is possible only through some good performances.
Middle-order batter Dewald Brevis said the team environment, contrary to public perception was great. “I feel the team is exactly the same. We have the same goals and the team environment is great. Rohit is still an amazing leader. I still learn from him as well from Hardik.”
As far as batting is concerned, Rohit was at his attacking best against Gujarat, but Ishan Kishan will be under pressure after a poor return. The absence of Suryakumar Yadav puts more pressure on the likes of Tilak Varma, Brevis and Tim David, all capable of handling any situation. In the bowling department, with Bumrah as their spearhead, Mumbai, who enjoy a 12-9 win-loss record against SRH, have good variety in Gerald Coetzee, Luke Wood and Piyush Chawla.
The hosts sport a strong look with a revamped squad and are eager to begin their home leg on a winning note. Chasing a 209-run target against KKR, Heinrich Klaasen‘s 29-ball 63 almost steered them home. Going into the final over needing 13 runs for victory, Sunrisers lost the plot after losing Klaasen and Shahbaz Nadeem.
Despite the loss, SRH were upbeat. Mayank Agarwal and Abhishek Sharma were among runs but Aiden Markram needs to get into the groove quickly. The SRH attack lost its way in the second half with Andre Russell taking them to the cleaners.
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