The 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will host the five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) in Match 8 of the IPL 2024 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday. The Sunrisers under new skipper Pat Cummins’s leadership began their IPL 2024 season against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens on March 23. SRH almost grabbed a thrilling win in their run chase but KKR registered a four-run win.
On the other hand, the Hardik Pandya-led MI played their IPL 2024 opener against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, on March 24. After restricting GT to a reasonable total of 168, MI’s middle order collapsed in the run chase falling short of the target by six runs.
Ahead of the Sunrisers Hyderabad’s clash with Mumbai Indians in Hyderabad, we look at the predicted XIs of both sides.
SRH Predicted XI
Mayank Agarwal
Mayank Agarwal had a decent start to IPL 2024 for SRH. He scored a quick-fire 32 in the run chase which propelled SRH to 65 in the powerplay. The right-handed batter has scored more than 2,600 runs in 124 IPL matches.
Abhishek Sharma
Abhishek Sharma is one of the best batters in SRH’s squad when it comes to playing spin. In SRH’s IPL 2024 opener, Abhishek looked in sublime touch and smashed a 19-ball 32 before getting dismissed.
Rahul Tripathi
Rahul Tripathi struggled against KKR at the Eden Gardens, scoring only 20. However, he has scored over 2,000 runs in 90 IPL games and will be hoping for a quick turnaround in form.
Aiden Markram
South Africa T20I skipper Aiden Markram plays a vital role in SRH’s middle order. Markram scored only 18 in SRH’s opening fixture against KKR this season but will be looking to add to his 793 runs in the IPL in the upcoming fixture.
Abdul Samad
Abdul Samad, one of the four players SRH retained before the 2022 IPL auction, is yet to perform to his full potential. Samad has scored 410 IPL runs in 35 matches at a strike rate of 137.58 and he will aim to have a bigger impact with the bat in IPL 2024.
Heinrich Klaasen (wicketkeeper)
South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen almost pulled off a nail-biting win against KKR by scoring a magnificent 29-ball 63. He made 448 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 177.07 in IPL 2023 and is looking in great touch this season.
Shahbaz Ahmed
Shahbaz Ahmed was traded to SRH from RCB ahead of the mini-auction in December last year. Overall, Shahbaz has scored 337 runs and picked up 14 wickets in 40 IPL games.
Marco Jansen
South Africa’s all-rounder Marco Jansen has been in great form with bat and ball since the ODI World Cup 2023. More than capable of contributing with the bat as well, Jansen has taken 19 wickets in the IPL so far.
Pat Cummins (captain)
Pat Cummins had a wonderful 2023 as Australia’s World Cup-winning captain besides also retaining the Ashes. A born leader, Cummins has played match-winning knocks in the IPL with the bat in the past and has also taken 46 scalps in the league.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Indian veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been a driving force for SRH’s pace attack over the years. He’s taken 170 wickets in the IPL and will have a big role to play for SRH this year.
Mayank Markande
Indian leg-spinner Mayank Markande could prove to be effective for SRH this year. He had a good season last year with 12 scalps and also picked up two wickets against KKR in his first IPL outing this year.
Impact Sub
T Natarajan/Nitish Kumar Reddy
MI Predicted XI
Rohit Sharma
Mumbai Indians’ ex-skipper Rohit Shrama has made a decent start this season, scoring a 29-ball 43. He is MI’s top scorer and one of the four batters to score over 6,000 runs in the IPL.
Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper)
India’s hard-hitting opener Ishan Kishan had an underwhelming outing against GT in the season opener after being dismissed for a duck. He scored 454 runs last season and is capable of dominating any opposition on his day.
Naman Dhir
Naman Dhir is a batting all-rounder from Punjab who played a vital role in their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023-24 title win. Naman was also the second-highest run-getter in the Sher-E-Punjab local T20 tournament. He scored a 10-ball 20 in his IPL debut against GT.
Tilak Varma
Tilak Varma had a wonder IPL 2023 for MI after scoring 343 runs at a strike rate of 164.11. He will play an important role in MI’s middle order, especially considering Suryakumar Yadav’s unavailability in Mumbai’s initial few fixtures.
Hardik Pandya (captain)
Mumbai Indians’ new skipper Hardik Pandya didn’t get the start he would have wanted in their IPL 2024 opener against Gujarat Titans. However, Pandya has scored 2,320 runs in 124 IPL games and has also taken 53 scalps, which indicates he’s likely to come good sooner rather than later.
Tim David
Australian hard-hitter Tim David had a decent IPL campaign for MI last year, scoring 231 runs at a strike rate of 158.21. Tim will be a regular overseas inclusion in MI’s playing XI this year and expect him to produce some big quickfire knocks.
Shams Mulani
Considering Hyderabad’s slow track, Mumbai Indians are likely to use Shams Mulani against SRH. Mulani made his IPL debut against GT after picking up 12 wickets in eight matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023-24.
Gerald Coetzee
Gerald Coetzee was the highest wicket-taker for South Africa in the ODI World Cup 2023 with 20 wickets in eight matches at an economy of 6.23. Coetzee had a memorable IPL debut for MI, picking up two wickets for 27 runs. Overall, he has taken 62 wickets in 43 matches at an economy of 8.02. in his T20 career.
Piyush Chawla
Piyush Chawla pickied up 22 wickets in 16 matches at an economy of 8.1. So far, the IPL spin bowling legend has taken 180 wickets in 182 matches at an economy of 7.92.
Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah produced a top bowling performances against GT in MI’s IPL 2024 opener. Bumrah took three wickets, leaking only 14 runs in his four overs. The Indian pacer has taken 148 wickets in 121 IPL matches so far at an impressive economy of 7.36.
Luke Wood
Luke Wood, a left-arm fast bowler from England with the priceless ability to swing the ball back into right-handers, joined MI as a replacement for Dilshan Madushanka, who was ruled out of IPL 2024 with injury. Wood has taken 147 wickets in 141 matches at an economy of 8.46 in his T20 career.
Impact Sub
Dewald Brevis/Nehal Wadhera
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