CHENNAI: The IPL in the last few days of the league stage is often a game of net run rates (NRR). Winning is not enough. Teams have to keep an eye on the margin to be sure of qualification. Ask Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Capitals or Kolkata Knight Riders if not convinced.
For Sunrisers Hyderabad, NRR is not a factor at the moment. It's all about points. Beat Mumbai Indians in the last league match on Tuesday and make it to the playoffs.
Because they have a positive NRR and 12 points, a win will put them ahead of Kolkata, who have 14 points and a NRR of -0.214.
If they lose, Hyderabad's IPL will be over. But the situation also means that they can play without going back to the calculator every now and then.
Another factor might work in Hyderabad's favour. Mumbai Indians have already ensured top spot on the table. They might be tempted to rest regulars, who have played without a break.
Mumbai have used 14 players so far. Seven of them have played all 13 matches. To put things in perspective, Hyderabad have used 20 and four have played all 13. So there is a chance that Mumbai will rest a few, which makes Hyderabad's task easier, at least theoretically.
But those are things beyond Hyderabad's control.
They have done well enough to believe they can do what they have to. After a Super Over heartbreak against Kolkata, they came back with three wins in their last four games.
There are injury concerns ahead of Tuesday's do-or-die game, but they have been served well by changes in the combination.
Asked to fill in the big shoes of Jonny Bairstow, Wriddhiman Saha has clicked as opener and the Englishman's replacement Jason Holder has strengthened the bowling.
Despite all that, Hyderabad carry concerns. Some of those are in batting. Other than David Warner, Manish Pandey and Kane Williamson to an extent, their batsmen do not instil fear in the opposition. Saha has done the job in two games, but time will tell whether benching Bairstow is a wise move.
If Holder plays, the only player Bairstow can replace is Williamson, which weakens a shaky middle-order. Vijay Shankar might have strengthened that department, but he missed the last match with a hamstring niggle.
The bowling, too, is over reliant on Rashid Khan, T Natarajan and Sandeep Sharma. Even though Holder has eight wickets in four games, his economy rate is 8.31.
Fifth bowler is also a worry and it has to be seen if left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem can do the job against Mumbai's fearsome batting line-up.
When these two teams met last, Hyderabad got a taste of Mumbai's collective batting might. Only one batsman scored a half-century (Quinton de Kock 60), but they still amassed 208/5 and won by 34 runs.
That is Mumbai's plus point. Even if they rest regulars, those who play will be keen to impress the team management, which will make it tougher for Hyderabad.
And at full strength, Mumbai have the attack to trouble all teams, not just Warner & Co.
But as they say, the tough get going when the going gets tough.
It's time for Hyderabad to show they have it in them. Having come this far through ups and downs, disappointment at the end of the road will be a hard pill to swallow.