IPL 2020: MI vs SRH Game Plan 2 – More of Bumrah in powerplay to counter SRH top-order?
The 17th of the IPL 2020 tournament between the blockbuster teams, Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad, could all be about match-ups. We take a look at a key game plan that could play a role in the fourteenth game of IPL 2020 – MI vs SRH.
MI vs SRH: Gamble with an extra Bumrah over in the Powerplay?
Four matches are already done for SRH and their highest total with the bat is just 164 so far. It is the lowest for any team in this IPL and that would certainly need to change on Sunday since they will be taking on Mumbai Indians at the run-flowing Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Apart from the fact that 200+ totals have been seen in all six innings played at Sharjah, SRH would also need to account for Mumbai Indians’ unparalleled batting strength if they bat first.
So far, the SRH opening duo of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow have been pretty sedate during the Powerplay overs. Only Manish Pandey has been positive during the first six overs while he has also quietened down during the middle overs along with Warner. Losing wickets is never preferred but SRH would probably trade it for some quick scoring at Sharjah especially during overs 7-16. The performances of Priyam Garg and Abhishek Sharma could also possibly release the shackles of the SRH top-order.
So, how will Mumbai approach the possible onslaught from the SRH batting line-up? In the first four matches, Jasprit Bumrah bowled only four overs during the Powerplay. Mumbai Indians are a completely different team to SRH but they might have to bowl at least a couple of overs of their premier pacer. If he can prize out Warner or Bairstow, that would be a big victory for Mumbai. While Priyam Garg, Abhishek Sharma and Abdul Samad have shown plenty of promise so far, it would be still a massive task to do the heavy work time and again.
In terms of lengths at Sharjah, good length or rather back of a length could work except for the slog overs. For the death overs, runs are going to be inevitably leaked but a mixture of well-directed bouncers and yorkers could provide some solace. It has been slower bouncers which have worked so far but like Kagiso Rabada showed against Andre Russell, a full pace bouncer might also do the trick if the field is set for such bowling.
Coming to yorkers, Trent Boult has succeeded in bowling that length while even Krunal Pandya delivered some balls in the blockhole against Kings XI Punjab in the previous game. Jasprit Bumrah would also be hoping to nail some although he has been a tad inconsistent with that until now. All said and done, MI have a more well-rounded bowling attack than SRH and they will fancy their chances even at Sharjah.