The festival of colours just ended, but the spirit and joy remain as the city now welcomes another cricket carnival with Sunrisers Hyderabad taking on Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier League (IPL) fixture on Wednesday.
The colours in the faces of cricket fans haven’t faded, as scores of young fans are still scouting for tickets to watch the city’s first IPL match of the season.
Amidst the fanfare, the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium is all decked up, with the ground resembling a green carpet welcoming the players as the Pat Cummins-led side looks to register its first win of the season.
The Plot
Sunrisers narrowly lost to Kolkata Knight Riders in their opening fixture as they fell short by four runs in a chase of 209. Harshit Rana successfully defended 12 runs in a thrilling final-over contest. It all boiled down to Andre Russell’s death overs blasting that trumped Henrich Klassen’s power-hitting.
Nevertheless, Sunrisers, with a new captain in Cummins, have shown signs they can go the distance with some quality players, and given the longevity of the tournament, they will hope to begin well at home.
Poor Track Record
Sunrisers have suffered their fifth consecutive loss since 2023, and in the last season, they managed to win just four matches, losing 10 and finishing at the bottom of the table.
A breakdown of communication between the management and players saw the Orange Army miss the playoffs berth once again. Following its disastrous performance, the management made a change by bringing in former New Zealand legend Daniel Vettori as head coach after parting ways with the legendary Brian Lara. Sunrisers will now hope the Vettori-Cummins combo reverses their fortunes.
Welcome, Mumbai Indians!
South African Dewald Brevis smashed a brilliant 38-ball 46 during Mumbai Indians’ opening game against Gujarat Titans but it was Sai Sudharsan who turned the course of the game and helped Gujarat beat Mumbai by six runs.
Mumbai has always carried the tag of slow starter and with Hardik Pandya at the helm, the blue brigade will look to make a mark on the points table. Despite the loss, Mumbai will be content that Jasprit Bumrah is fit and back and Rohit Sharma is in excellent nick. The side will hope the rest of the team pulls up its socks.
The Track
The pitch in Uppal has always been batting-friendly, and the spinners only get purchase as the game progresses.
However, there might be a little bit of help for the fast bowlers, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will play a key role, knowing the surface like the back of his hand. His battle against Rohit, who is vulnerable against the in-coming ball, will be a thrilling contest.
