Bengaluru, Nov. 3: Sunrisers Hyderabad are set to take on Mumbai Indians in the final league-stage match of the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Tuesday (Nov. 3).
While defending champions Mumbai Indians have already entered the IPL playoffs with a top of the table finish, Hyderabad will have to win their final league game of the season to make it to the playoffs. The David Warner-led side will face the Mumbai side at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
While a win will take them forward, a loss will see Kolkata Knight Riders take the final playoff spot. The other two teams to have qualified for the playoffs are Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Ahead of their must-win clash against the defending champions, former West Indies captain Brian Lara said that the David Warner-led Hyderabad team has the firepower to defeat the dominant Mumbai Indians. The former cricketer feels that the Mumbai side may rest some of their players and that might go in SRH’s favour.
Speaking on Star Sports show Cricket Live, Lara said, “Yeah, definitely. They (Sunrisers Hyderabad) found themselves in this position and that’s from good playing in their recent games. So, I expect them to actually be up for the challenge.
“Mumbai Indians may be easing off, rest a few plays which will favour SRH. But I think they have got to be ready for this quarter-final and for the rest of the tournament. If they win, they are in and I think they have got what it takes to do so,” Lara added.
If Warner-led SRH win their final league game against Mumbai, they will meet Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Eliminator on Friday (Nov. 6). Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians are set to take on Delhi Capitals on Thursday (Nov. 5) in the first Qualifier of the season.