The match between Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad, played on May 12, 2014 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal, Hyderabad was crucial for both the sides because of several reasons. Mumbai Indians would have been looking for ways to shake off its defeat against Chennai Super Kings and get the win needed to keep its campaign meaningful. Sunrisers Hyderabad, on the other hand, would have wanted to win this game and get to the 4th spot.
Team composition: Mumbai made one change to the team that lost against Chennai – they benched Praveen Kumar and brought back Pragyan Ojha. Hyderabad stuck to the same team that had been victorious in the previous game against Delhi.
Batting: Sunrisers won the toss and opted to bat first. They posted a total of 157 for the loss of 3 wickets in 20 overs. Aaron Finch was the highest scorer with 68 runs from 62 balls and he was ably assisted by David Warner, who raced to 55 from just 31 balls.
Replying to the solid total, Mumbai Indians got home in 18.4 overs, losing only 3 wickets in the process. Opener Lendl Simmons scored 68 from 50 balls and Ambati Rayudu matched his score, having faced 46 balls.
Bowling: For MI, Lasith Malinga, as usual, was the best bowler on the field, with 2 for 35 from his quota. Jasprit Bumrah and Harbhajan Singh were economical but the other members of the bowling lineup – Corey Anderson, Pragyan Ojha and Kieron Pollard – conceded a lot of runs and also failed to pick up any wickets.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was once again the standout performer for the SRH with 2 for 21 in 4 overs. Dale Steyn (none for 29) bowled well but without any luck. Moises Henriques (1 for 23 in 3 overs) picked up the remaining wicket to fall. Irfan Pathan, Karn Sharma and Amit Mishra were highly expensive and their lack of precision and penetration enabled the MI to basically canter to a win in the end.
Where do the teams go from here?
Mumbai Indians would be happy with the hard-fought win and now look to carry on from this game. However, they need to look at the composition of their attack. There is a clear lack of balance between bowlers who can bowl with pace and ones who can take it off. Perhaps they would be better served with Praveen Kumar in the team. He is a good bowler and a hard-hitter down the order. Having mysteriously missed out on an IPL deal the first time around, he would be eager to show his true mettle and Mumbai Indians would be better served to use that vigour instead of persisting with below-par performers.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad have a decent side but they may have got their batting order a little wrong. Dhawan, at the moment, is struggling for momentum, and perhaps it would be prudent for him to come down the order and let Warner and Finch open the innings, as they normally do for Australia. They should also provide a chance to Parvez Rasool, who is a fantastic performer in Indian domestic cricket and also played for India A already. His inclusion would strengthen the batting lineup. They may also consider benching Lokesh Rahul and Moises Henriques and bringing in Brendan Taylor and Ashish Reddy, who has previously performed well for the franchise. There is plenty of talent in the side that needs to be utilised in these times so that the team can find a way to turn round the state of affairs.
