Topsy-turvy MI look to end slump at home

At the halfway stage, Mumbai Indians' fate remains firmly in their own hands. With seven matches left and 14 points still there for the taking, they even possess a theoretical chance of finishing in the coveted top two, beginning Wednesday when they face Sunrisers Hyderabad. Well, that is only on paper.

MI have been hot and cold this season – more cold than hot. The batters have misfired and bowlers have faltered. They have scored the fewest runs (1173) and also have the lowest Powerplay score (366) among the 10 sides. Their wickets tally is just as poor – 33 scalps this season.

Nothing amplifies MI's situation more than their batters' numbers. Tilak Varma, their highest scorer, is 31st in the batting charts. Suryakumar Yadav has scored 157 in seven games at an average of 22.4, compared to over 65 last season. The figures of Hardik Pandya (97) and Sherfane Rutherford (103) are as abysmal.

"The atmosphere in the dressing room is good. We are taking each match positively," said Ashwani Kumar (six wickets), MI's best pacer in terms of wickets claimed in proportion to matches played.

Wednesday's match will be between the No. 1 batting side and No. 10. SRH (1598) have three batters in the top 10 and have scored 425 runs more than MI. They also hold superior numbers across other factors – fifties (10-5), sixes (92-59) and average (29.59-26.06). Their only concern has been the form of opener Travis Head.

With the return of Pat Cummins and the emergence of rookie pacers Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain, SRH now have a formidable attack that could prove a handful for MI's out-of-form batters.

Match Details

When: MI vs SRH, IPL 2026, April 29 at 7:30 PM IST
Where: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
What to expect: High-scoring game. Average first-innings score at the venue is 215 with average first-innings winning total being 223.

Head to Head

MI 15 – 19 SRH. MI have won seven out of nine games at the Wankhede and enjoy a 5-1 edge over visitors since 2023. But this season, MI have lost three out of four home games.

Injuries/Unavailability

Rohit Sharma, out with hamstring injury since April 12, continues to be doubtful although he has been batting at the nets. MI's latest recruit, Keshav Maharaj (replacing Mitchell Santner), has joined the squad.

Tactics & Match-ups

Corbin Bosch and Trent Boult, apart from Jasprit Bumrah, have favourable match-ups against Abhishek Sharma. Boult also has a strong record against Ishan Kishan. It may be a good call to bring back the New Zealander. Meanwhile, with Santner out, MI may turn to Will Jacks.

Probable XII (MI)

Quinton de Kock (wk), Danish Malewar, Naman Dhir, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Sherfane Rutherford, Krish Bhagat, Will Jacks, AM Ghazanfar/Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Ashwani Kumar

Injuries/Unavailability (SRH)

No information of any injury to any SRH players.

Tactics & Match-ups (SRH)

Pat Cummins has dismissed Rohit Sharma five times and Suryakumar Yadav three times. Should Rohit play, Cummins will need to plan his four overs tactfully.

Probable XII (SRH)

Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Pat Cummins (c), Praful Hinge, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain

Key Stats

• For the first time, MI have lost three straight games at Wankhede in a single IPL season
• MI have the worst record chasing since 2024, with just seven wins from 20 games
• Hardik Pandya's captaincy record for MI: 14 wins and 21 losses from 35 games (40% success rate)

Quotes

"When I go out for the match, there is no pressure. He (Lasith Malinga) talks to me about the mental side – how to handle pressure. I am also working with him on my yorkers." – MI pacer Ashwani Kumar

"Well, it's just open, transparent dialogue – right from ownership all the way through management. Now that Pat is back – he's been captain for the last two years – it's a pretty seamless transition." – SRH assistant coach James Franklin on the change of captaincy from Ishan Kishan to Pat Cummins