IPL 2023: Five batsmen who can make a big impact in MI-SRH game

Over the years Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad have played out many intriguing battles and they continue that rivalry on Tuesday at the latter's home ground at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

Mumbai enjoys a slight advantage in head-to-head having won 10 of 19 previous encounters in three of their last four games.

However, Hyderabad won the most recent match between the two sides by three runs at the Wankhede Stadium last May.

Both teams have won two and lost two matches at this season’s IPL and reside at the less than comfortable eighth and ninth position on the ten-team table.

Only Delhi Capital is below them with no wins from five outings.

Here are five key batsmen who could make an impact on Tuesday:

Rohit Sharma

Mumbai’s talismanic skipper is one of the most aggressive batsmen when he is in full flow and is very hard to contain. Stylish and fluent he easily gets on top of the bowling and can frustrate his opponents with the way he picks the gaps in the field.

Sharma was expected to miss the last match due to a stomach bug but made a surprise entrance in the second half of the game as an 'Impact Substitute', where he scored a quick-fire 20 runs.

He needs to stay at the crease longer and help lay a strong foundation for the innings in the company of Ishan Kishan.

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Suryakumar Yadav

SKY bounced back to his best form during Mumbai’s five-wicket victory over Kolkata on Sunday when he blasted an eye-popping 43 off just 25 delivers with three sixes and four fours.

The world’s No 1 ranked T20 batsman had been struggling with his form in this IPL but by the looks of that innings is back in business.

Mumbai will be banking heavily on the ability of this one-drop batsman to help them forge a big score to make things difficult for Hyderabad.

Harry Brook

The England batsman has taken the world by storm with a whirlwind start to his Test career, scoring 809 runs from 6 matches at 80.90. And he has scored these Test runs at an astonishing strike rate of 98.77!

Naturally, the expectations were huge when Sunrisers bought him for $1.6 million.

But he managed only 29 runs from his first three IPL matches this season.

The 24-year-old batsman, however, finally announced his arrival in style with a 55-ball 100 against Kolkata.

Hyderabad will be hoping for many more special innings from this special player.

Aiden Markram

The dashing South African, who led Eastern Cape to the inaugural SA20 title, has effortlessly taken on the mantel of captaincy with Sunrisers.

He looks comfortable in this important role which appears to have inspired him to perform at the highest level as he showed with a 26 ball half-century in the last match which was underscored by five majestic sixes.

Hyderabad will welcome more fireworks from their skipper during the pivotal middle overs of the innings.

Tilak Varma

Hyderabad-born Varma was at the centre of a bitter battle between his home side, Chennai and Rajasthan before he was bought by Mumbai during the 2022 auction and the hard-hitting left-hander has gone on to justify his worth with some sparkling performances.

He has attitude and ability and looks a game-changer.

In four innings, he has accumulated 177 runs and has always looked dangerous.

Tuesday's match:

Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians

6 pm, UAE Time

Hyderabad

Head-to-head

Matches 19

Hyderabad won 9

Mumbai won 10

• Sports
• IPL 2024