Miracle or bust for Mumbai Indians as they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad

After Kolkata Knight Riders' crushing 86-run win against Rajasthan Royals, the task for defending champions Mumbai Indians to book a playoff berth has become quite improbable. Simply put, they need a miracle. 

They not only need to win, they need to win big, very big, because of the gap between their net run-rate (-0.048) and Knight Riders' 0.587, which was already at 0.294 before their win against Royals.  For Mumbai Indians, even a repeat of their dominant eight-wicket win against Royals on Tuesday will not be enough.

 If they bat first on Friday, Mumbai will have to win by 171 runs to displace Knight Riders from the fourth spot.

 And if Mumbai bowl first, it's pretty much out of the question    Mumbai's attempt to qualify also comes against a rising Sunrisers outfit, who defended 141 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in a way reminiscent of their old template: put up a middling total and back the potent bowling attack to make it prove enough.

 Bhuvneshwar Kumar is being as economical as ever, Jason Holder is picking up wickets, and Umran Malik is cranking up the pace. They already spoilt Royal Challengers' party by not letting them finish in the top two, and now Sunrisers will want to knock Mumbai Indians out.

Source : ESPNcricinfo