Now Clock Ticks for MI’s Playoff Hopes in Wankhede Stadium
Record: 2 wins, 5 losses from 7 games. 4 points, NRR -0.736 Playoff chance: 7% — "terminal decline"Last result: Heaviest defeat in MI history — lost by 103 runs to CSK Table: Sitting 9th out of 10. Gap to top 4 "grown wider"
Batting failures: Hardik Pandya 97 runs, 3 wickets. Suryakumar Yadav just 110 runs. Rohit Sharma missed 2 games with hamstring issue Bowling struggles: Bumrah only 2 wickets. Boult 1 wicket, Chahar 1 wicket. Powerplay wickets missing Injury blow: Mitchell Santner ruled out for season with shoulder injury vs CSK. Keshav Maharaj signed as replacement One bright spot: Beat GT by 99 runs with Tilak Varma 101 off 45 to end 4-match losing streak. But collapsed again vs CSK.
MI have used the most players this season - 20 - though injuries have played a part in unsettling their combination. Head coach Mahela Jayawardene said some changes were "forced," but also that other "tactical" moves did not come off.
Their fast bowlers - apart from Jasprit Bumrah - have been expensive across phases, and their batters have struggled as a collective across conditions, with the exception of two hundreds from Quinton de Kock and Tilak Varma. They desperately need runs from Suryakumar Yadav, and runs, wickets/economy and direction from their captain Hardik Pandya. MI have suffered five defeats in seven games, and their most recent loss - to Chennai Super Kings by 103 runs - was their heaviest ever in the IPL. Time is running out for that fabled comeback.
Verdict: "Mathematically alive but realistically in the deepest crisis"Requirement: "Every remaining game is a must-win and even that may not be enough given the NRR deficit" NRR hole: -0.736 means MI need big wins, not just wins.
Their opponents on Wednesday, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), also started the season by losing three of their first four games, but have arrived in Mumbai on a four-match winning streak. They too had injury and availability issues but appear to have found a successful combination with the return of Pat Cummins, and the rise of Eshan Malinga and Sakib Hussain in their bowling attack.
SRH have won only one of their last six matches against MI, and only two of their last nine against them at the Wankhede. On current form, they stand a good chance of improving that record. Victory will take SRH level with RCB on 12 points.
MI have 5 titles and are known for late surges. Hardik: "Ultimate dream is to win IPL for the sixth time". But this year "execution across all three departments has fallen well short" Bottom line: MI’s trademark comebacks need to start now. With 7% playoff odds, 5 losses already, Santner out, and key players out of form, they need "immediate, dramatic and sustained turnaround". Next vs SRH is effectively a knockout game.
The pitch for this game - No. 8 - will be the same on which 462 runs were scored when MI fell short against RCB's score of 240. RCB's score might have been a little above par on this pitch but it will continue to be a batting track. Even though teams winning the toss almost always opt to chase in Mumbai, what's interesting is that in the last 10 games on this pitch specifically, teams batting first have won six games, which might make the teams think a little for Wednesday.
