Written by Maverick White for @Hollywoodbets. Follow them both on Twitter and Facebook now!
Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | Wednesday 30 April | Dubai | 16:30
The UAE stage of this year’s Indian cricketing bazaar culminates with a basement battle hosted in the cosmopolitan metropolis that is Dubai. Some sides, Mumbai and Hyderabad among them, will be looking forward to slightly firmer pitches in their homeland. Quite a lot of cricket has been held in the UAE in recent months and the wear is apparent, spinners, Narine in particular, have found plenty of purchase. Dubai is no different, acting up considerably when the dew begins to settle and there is skid for the batsmen to contend with. The two sides lined up have a fair amount in common. Both are struggling for runs with a smorgasbord of stars to choose from and Hyderabad’s solitary win is the slender margin that separates them at the bottom of the log. Sometimes, in this tournament, desperation can be the mother of invention.
To Win
Indians 21/20
Tie 35/1
Sunrisers 15/20
Mumbai Indians
Played four, lost four. Any side – let alone the defending champions – would be horrified at the start to the tournament. They’ve batted themselves into a hole more often than not, in turn setting low, imminently chaseable targets. The usually consistent Mike Hussey hasn’t prospered in his move from Chennai, thirty runs from four innings a less than ideal start for the side at the top of the order. No-one yet has a hundred runs in the tournament, including big name players Kieron Pollard and Corey Anderson. Rohit Sharma has a fifty to his name, the only one for Mumbai so far. As captain, he will be disappointed with the way both he and the side have crumbled to disciplined attacks. The only player in the whole squad to have pulled his weight is Lasith Malinga, who is still a threat to the best intentioned chase. He has seven wickets at less than six runs to the over, good news, except that the spinners have dominated in Dubai. Perhaps the fact that Rohit Sharma scored his half-century at the ground will offer some fans solace in an otherwise miserable season for the trophy-holders.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Another side who have disappointed in their start to the competition, the Sunrisers Hyderabad will be looking to make amends for some shoddy performances. Perhaps in possession of the most brazen top three in the tournament, one feels that if this trio fail to kickstart the innings the Sunrisers are largely done for. Darren Sammy is capable of some lusty blows at the death, but the Sunrisers’ middle-order has largely underperformed. Their solitary win came without the necessity of the middle-order, Shikhar Dhawan, Aaron Finch and David Warner propelling Hyderabad to 184/1 from their twenty overs in Dubai. However, they batted first during a Friday morning fixture and won’t be privy to such conditions this time around. Their top three are slowly finding form but the Sunrisers will be most worried about Dale Steyn. Although he picked up a couple of wickets in Dubai against the Delhi Daredevils, he has begun to look a lot more playable. He may welcome the move to India the most, the Sunrisers surely missing the home ground that was so important to their success last season.
Venue
As mentioned, Dubai has proved profitable for the spinners and scores of 150 seem a challenge with the dew around. As yet, there is no chance of rain. Hyderabad will have fonder memories at the ground, Mumbai having lost twice here already.
VERDICT: Mumbai Indians 21/20
Something has to give for this talented Mumbai team, devoid of runs. Their bowling attack has shown the ability to keep the opposition quiet and this could hold them in good stead here. It’s a bit of an anomaly to lose five T20 matches on the trot, so I’ll be calling a Mumbai win. It may not be the beginning of a resurgence, but at least a boost in confidence.
