Kolkata: A resurgent Sunrisers Hyderabad host an upbeat Mumbai Indians at home in the IPL 2023 and the Orange Army will be aiming to continue its winning momentum after some dominating effort in the last couple of games.
SRH batter Harry Brook - who slammed the first century of IPL 2023 - will once again be the cynosure of all eyes.
The rising England cricketer put the disappointments of the previous games behind him and smashed his maiden IPL century in what was his fourth match in the tournament.
Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh lauded the Englishman for his imperious knock against KKR and the wide range of shots in his repertoire. The Turbanator highlighted Brook's weakness against spinners but believes he will get better with experience.
Speaking on Star Sports Cricket Live, Harbhajan said, "Brook plays fast bowling well. He has an array of shots in his batting repertoire against fast bowlers. Although he isn't very strong against spin, he hides his weakness by taking singles and doubles. Whenever he gets a chance, he hits the weak balls from the pacers for boundaries. Also, he is getting good support from other SRH batsmen. This will give him a lot of confidence going forward."
Mumbai Indians also registered back-to-back wins in the IPL 2023 and captain Rohit Sharma-led side will be aiming to carry the momentum forward.
Former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif claimed with their dominating performances in their last two games, MI have shown why they are five-time champions.
Md Kaif said, "Hopefully, we'll see that old Mumbai Indians side against Sunrisers Hyderabad. MI of the old was known for its aggressive batting performances and the last two games were a testimony to that."
Meanwhile, the Southern Derby between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings lived up to its billings as fans witnessed a high-scoring last-over thriller in Bengaluru. It was the only time these two teams were facing each other in IPL 2023.
CSK opener Devon Conway stole the show with his explosive, yet classical batting at M Chinnaswamy. The left-handed batter from New Zealand played a sublime knock of 83 off 45 balls to help CSK post a mammoth total.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan likened Conway to former Australia batter Michael Hussey, who was a vital cog in the CSK setup for many years and helped the Yellow Brigade win IPL in 2010 and 2011. Hussey is now CSK's batting coach.
Pathan said, "Devon Conway's batting style is very similar to that of Michael Hussey. Once he starts scoring runs, he does not stop. His speciality was that as Faf du Plessis changed fielding positions, Conway took advantage of that and played shots in the gap."
The high-adrenaline encounter between RCB and CSK also showcased MS Dhoni's calming effect on the side which helped the latter stave off the jittery moments on the pitch in slog overs.
Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar believes the reason why CSK managed to weather the storm of Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell is because of Dhoni behind the stumps.
Gavaskar said, "Players don't feel much pressure when MS Dhoni is leading the side. He's utterly cool and that helps. He stays in the moment and never gets carried away. Yes, he gives them some stares once they drop catches or miss field but he never puts them under pressure. That is the reason why CSK manage to brave crunch situations more often than not."
