SRH bring red-hot form to Mumbai. MI fight to avoid slipping further. This match pits a confident unit against a side searching for answers.
MI: Crisis deepens at home
MI sit ninth with two wins in seven games. They have just one victory in their last five matches. Their latest defeat was a 103-run thrashing.
Batting has lacked firepower. Suryakumar Yadav has 157 runs at 22.4 average. Tilak Varma leads MI scoring yet ranks only 31st overall.
Bumrah stands out and has dismissed Abhishek Sharma twice for 17 runs. The rest of the attack has leaked runs in all phases. Hardik Pandya has managed just three wickets and modest batting returns.
Rohit Sharma missed the last three games with a hamstring injury. His match fitness remains uncertain. Santner is out for the season with a shoulder problem.
SRH: Streak continues under Cummins
SRH sit fourth and have won four straight. Victory here edges them closer to playoffs. Ishan Kishan has 312 runs at strike rate 198.72.
Abhishek Sharma holds the Orange Cap. Heinrich Klaasen has 349 runs. Neither has fallen to spinners this season.
Pat Cummins has returned, taken captaincy and settled seamlessly. Rookie pacers Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain and Praful Hinge add bite. Sakib Hussain varies pace expertly.
Breakdown: High scores expected on flat track
Wankhede Pitch No. 8 is a batting paradise. Average first-innings score is 215. Three of four totals this season exceeded 200.
Last 10 games on this pitch saw six first-innings wins. Dew in this night match favours the side batting second. Chasing win rate here is 58.9 percent.
MI lead head-to-head eight wins to three. SRH have won only two of 14 games at this venue. Bumrah versus explosive SRH openers will be decisive.
Prediction
SRH enter with superior recent form and batting depth. MI remain inconsistent with bat and ball. The visitors look equipped to handle the conditions better.
Match prediction: SRH win, odds 2.06
