WHAT’S AT STAKE:
MI: Kolkata Knight Riders' massive win over Rajasthan Royals almost knocked out Mumbai Indians from the tournament. MI's chances of winning can end at the toss only as they need to win the match by an unreal margin of 171 runs or more to qualify for playoffs. A feat as rare as this has only been achieved five times in T20 cricket history. This list also includes, international match where Sri Lanka beat Kenya by 172 runs.
SRH: Wooden spoon confirmed, the Sunrisers really have nothing to gain or lose from this game. However, they can definitely spoil Mumbai’s party if they go on to win the game or perhaps at the toss itself.
Mumbai’s chances of making it to the playoffs looked rather bleak after 12 games, but their massive victory against the Rajasthan Royals got them back in contention for a brief period.
After a superlative bowling performance where they kept the Royals down to just 90 runs from their 20 overs, Mumbai chased the target down inside 9 overs to give their net run-rate a major boost. Ishan Kishan’s return to form was also a big boost for Rohit Sharma’s side. Kishan smashed an unbeaten 25-ball 50 to take his side home in scintillating fashion.
Even though the Sunrisers have only won 3 out of 13 games in IPL 2021, Mumbai just can’t afford to take them lightly. In the last game, Sunrisers kept their nerves to defeat third-placed Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Mumbai will be mindful of their unpredictable nature but if they had to pick any team to face in their final game, it would have been the Sunrisers based on their poor returns this season.
SRH’s middle-order has been abysmal and with Mumbai’s bowlers in top form, expect Rohit Sharma’s men to put a stranglehold if they manage to bundle out Jason Roy & Kane Williamson cheaply.
At the same time, Mumbai’s batting has also been a huge cause for concern. Rohit Sharma hasn’t fired in the UAE leg and barring the swift run-chase in the previous game, the rest of the batters too have struggled. SRH’s bowling came good against RCB where they successfully defended their 141-run total.
While Kane Williamson’s men will be looking to bow out on a high, Mumbai definitely start as favourites in this all-important clash. Don’t be surprised if Rohit Sharma wins the toss and opts to bat as their only chance to be in the contest by batting first and beating SRH by a fair margin of 171 runs or more even if it might feel unachievable. The race to the playoffs is going right down to the wire. Buckle up!
