Mumbai faces upbeat Haryana in a crucial clash

It’s not for nothing that T20 is considered the most fickle format. With no clear favourites, every game throws up new challenges for the teams, and with hardly any turnaround time in between matches, adaptability remains the key.

Things are no different in the Super League phase of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, either. The teams had to adapt to new conditions and battle the dew factor as all the four fixtures on the opening day saw teams bowling first winning the game.

After a memorable group league campaign, Mumbai suffered a shock defeat against Hyderabad, due to a batting collapse. And ahead of a do-or-die clash against Haryana at the DY Patil Academy ground on Sunday, skipper Shardul Thakur wants ‘a little bit of smartness’ from his batters and expects them to make the most of the Powerplay. Mumbai lost the plot after losing three wickets inside the Powerplay, and the defending champion needs to regroup and also look at bettering its Net Run Rate in order to stay in the hunt.

Haryana, on the other hand, comes on the back of a convincing victory against Rajasthan, and even though Nishant Sindhu remains a doubtful starter due to a finger injury, the team hopes to continue the winning run.

Bolstered by the return of Mohammed Siraj, a confident Hyderabad will take on Rajasthan at the same venue, and Tanmay Agarwal, who played a key role in guiding the team home over Mumbai, told The Hindu that the team’s focus has been to improve the NRR.

In the fixtures of the day, Andhra will take on Punjab at the MCA Stadium, while coming on the back of a record-chase, Jharkhand will hope to keep the momentum against Madhya Pradesh, which registered a come-from-behind win in the previous game against Andhra despite Nitish Kumar’s hattrick.

Today’s matches: Mumbai vs Haryana (9 a.m., DY Patil Academy), Andhra vs Punjab (11 a.m., MCA Stadium), Hyderabad vs Rajasthan (1.30 p.m., DY Patil Academy), Madhya Pradesh vs Jharkhand (4.30 p.m., MCA Stadium).