IPL 2024: Mumbai Indians' strongest predicted playing XI against Sunrisers Hyderabad

The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad is set to host its first match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) take on Mumbai Indians (MI). Neither team has had a great start to their campaign and will be hoping to get on the winning track on Wednesday (March 27), promising an intense battle between the former champions.

MI, famous for losing their tournament opener in 2013, lost to Gujarat Titans (GT) by six runs to grab the eighth spot on the points table. On the other hand, SRH fell short of just four runs against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in a high-octane last-over thriller. After the first round of the tournament, the Pat Cummins-led side are currently one rank above their rivals.

While Jasprit Bumrah and Gerald Coetzee shone with the ball, an unburdened Rohit Sharma and Dewald Brevis excelled with the bat for the five-time champions in their first match. Meanwhile, Heinrich Klaasen almost pulled off a win for SRH as he shunned the Russell muscle show in the first innings with a blazing 63-run knock. Having won 12 out of 21 matches, MI have the upper hand over the Hyderabad franchise in their head-to-head encounters.

Click Here: SRH vs MI Live Score, Match 8

Here is MI's probable playing XI for the match against SRH in IPL 2024

Openers: Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma

MI will stick to their formidable opening pair of Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma. Both are aggressive batters and can exploit the batting-friendly pitch at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Rohit no longer has the pressure of captaincy and is likely to score big runs in this tournament. He gave a hint by scoring 43 runs off 29 balls in the first match.

Kishan got off to a poor start as he was dismissed for a four-ball duck against GT. The youngster is back in action after a while and he might turn the tables in the upcoming match. 

Also Check: IPL 2024 Orange Cap 

Middle-order: Naman Dhir, Dewald Brevis, Tilak Varma, Tim David

MI sent a surprising player, who played just five T20s, at number three in the last match. Naman Dhir from Punjab is known for his hard-hitting and is likely to play at the same spot in the upcoming match. South Africa’s rising superstar Dewald Brevis was MI’s impact player in the last game and he did his job decently with a 38-ball 46. The right-hander is likely to be included in the XI against SRH as the wicket has more to offer the batters.

Tilak Varma will follow Brevis at no.5 and the duo will have a big responsibility in the absence of Suryakumar Yadav, who is yet to fully recover. Tim David may change his batting position depending on the game situation. The Singapore-born Australian cricketer is known for his power-hitting and finishing the games. He was sent before Pandya in the last match but struggled to find runs. 

Also Check:  Hyderabad vs Mumbai, Match 8 - MPL Opinio Prediction

All-Rounders: Hardik Pandya

Team captain and all-rounder Hardik Pandya played higher up the batting order during his time with GT. But in the first match of 2024, came in at no.7 and is likely to follow suit in the upcoming match. Pandya did not have a great start to his second chapter with MI as he failed to make much of an impact with batting, bowling and captaincy.

Also Check : SRH vs MI Dream11 Prediction,

Bowlers: Piyush Chawla, Gerald Coetzee, Jasprit Bumrah, Luke Wood

Veteran spinner Piyush Chawla is the next man in MI's line-up. The holder of 180 wickets - the third-highest wicket-taker in IPL history - will lead MI's spin attack. He can also chip in with some crucial runs in the lower-middle order. 
Spearheaded by Indian ace bowler Jasprit Bumrah, MI's key strength is their pace attack. The Mumbai franchise roped in Gerald Coetzee right after the South African's impressive performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup. While Bumrah took three wickets for 14 runs, Coetzee conceded 27 runs in his four overs and picked up two wickets in the match against GT.

Jason Behrendorff’s replacement Luke Wood had a poor debut as he conceded an economy of over 12 in his two overs. But Wood, who has gained experience playing in T20 leagues around the world, is likely to get the support of the management in the upcoming matches. Notably, he finished as the highest wicket-taker for Peshawar Zalmi in the recently concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL) with 12 wickets.

Also Check: IPL 2024 Purple Cap

Impact Player - Vishnu Vinod 

MI's Predicted XI vs SRH: 

Ishan Kishan (wk), Rohit Sharma, Naman Dhir, Dewald Brevis, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (C), Tim David, Piyush Chawla, Gerald Coetzee, Jasprit Bumrah, Luke Wood (Impact player - Vishnu Vinod)