Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bowl first against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on May 21 (Sunday). The Men in Blue made one change to their playing XI as Kritik Shokeen was replaced by Kumar Kartikeya. Aiden Markram also made a couple of changes to the playing XI, the most notable being the inclusion of Umran Malik.
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan(w), Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Tim David, Nehal Wadhera, Chris Jordan, Piyush Chawla, Jason Behrendorff, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal
Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Mayank Agarwal, Vivrant Sharma, Aiden Markram(c), Heinrich Klaasen(w), Harry Brook, Nitish Reddy, Glenn Phillips, Sanvir Singh, Mayank Dagar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik
Five-time champions MI will be desperate for a victory by a big margin over wooden spooners SRH. While the Sunrisers are already ruled out of the race to the playoffs, Mumbai Indians, who have one last chance left, will be keen to make the most of their excellent show here at the Wankhede Stadium this season so far, and bolster their chances of qualification.
With four wins and two defeats, MI have certainly taken full advantage of their home ground, something that Rohit Sharma's men would want to continue as they also have the final opportunity to improve their Net Run Rate (NRR).
Unlike Rajasthan Royals who have finished the league round with 14 points and a superior NRR of 0.148, Mumbai Indians can do one better and end with 16 points, but they must also win big.
Currently at fourth, Royal Challengers Bangalore can be described as being in pole position since they have a better NRR of 0.180 than MI (-0.128) and RR.
RCB can also grab two vital points if they get the better of Gujarat Titans, but more importantly, Faf du Plessis' side would know what exactly is required of them since they play the last game of the league round later on Sunday evening.
Mumbai Indians' chances will get stronger if they win and RCB lose, whereas if they both win their respective games on Sunday, the NRR will come into play. Needless to say, a loss would shut the doors on MI's chances.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
IPL 2023: Huge blow for RCB ahead of must-win game against GT, star overseas player injured and likely to fly home
'I am lost for words': Rinku Singh earns huge praise after another stellar performance in run chase in IPL 2023
