The last day of the league stage of the Indian Premier League 2023 features two thrilling matches, the first of which is match number 69 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai between five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). SRH will play for pride, as they are languishing at the bottom of the IPL Points Table, whereas MI enters this game in a must-win situation in order to secure a playoff position. MI captain Rohit Sharma won the toss against Aiden Markram of the opposing team and made the correct decision to field first. When the presenter questioned Rohit about the decision, he explained that the afternoon game makes pursuit more comfortable.
“Only because of the nature of the pitch and because we are accustomed to pursuing. As the sun sets, it will become simpler to bat on the dry pitch.
“Shokeen is out, and Kartikeya is in,” said Rohit Sharma at the coin flip.
On being queried about pregame thoughts, the player responded, “That’s a tricky question; we’re just trying to win the game without considering how.” Ultimately, winning the game is necessary for us to have an opportunity. We are not planning too far in advance. All team discussions have centered on this topic and the tasks we must accomplish as a unit, Rohit Sharma added.
There are three teams vying for one playoff berth.
There are currently three teams (MI, RCB, and RR) still in contention for the final place in the playoffs, so the situation is extremely precarious. Mumbai’s victory by a large margin will guarantee them a spot in the semifinals, but they will also need the Gujarat Titans to defeat Royal Challengers Bangalore in the evening match.
The team led by Rohit Sharma will advance to the fourth position with a victory, but if RCB prevails, the team with the higher net run rate (NRR) will advance. To defeat RCB in terms of NRR, Mumbai will need a margin of 80+ runs, whereas RCB can still advance even if they win by a margin as small as 1 run.
The Rajasthan Royals depend significantly on the outcomes of both matches. The Sanju Samson-captained team will be hoping that both Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore lose by the necessary margins so that they can qualify due to a positive net run rate.
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