Mumbai aim to deny Sunrisers hattrick of wins

Mumbai, April 11: Bolstered by the thrilling last over win over the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Mumbai Indians will aim to deny a hattrick of wins to defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), when the two sides clash in an Indian Premier League 2017 match at the Wankhede Stadium here on Wednesday.
It is still early days in the tourment, with Mumbai having lost one and winning one while the Hyderabad side seems to have carried on from where they left last season, winning both their matches handsomely.
Going into Wednesday's tie, both sides can boast of a good mix of young blood and seasoned campaigners. While the hosts have the likes of batsman Nitish Ra, Krul and Hardik Pandya along side Sri Lankan slinger Lasith Malinga; the visitors can be proud of the performances of teeged Afghan leg-spinner Rashid Khan and all-rounder Moises Henriques.
Mumbai can also take a lot of heart from the fact that the win against KKR was a collective effort from the young guns. If Krul Pandya slowed down the onslaught from the Kolkata batsmen with three quick wickets, Ra and Hardik's blitzkrieg helped them romp home in the fil over.
Mumbai will now hope their senior pros -- skipper Rohit Sharma, West Indian power-hitter Keiron Pollard and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh -- to compliment the youngsters if they are to make a match against a formidable opposition like the Sunrisers.
With Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah around to bowl into the block-hole, Mumbai's death bowling looks sorted for now.
However, the one change Mumbai could make is to bring in Tim Southee for his New Zealand compatriot Mitchell McCleghan, who leaked plenty of runs against KKR.
On the other hand, back from two comprehensive wins, the visitors will be eager to get those two points and consolidate their lead on top of the standings.
The visitors aren't expected to make any major changes to the winning combition. Skipper David Warner's return to form in the previous match against the Gujarat Lions, further strengthens their top order. IANS