Mumbai: A blistering century by star batsman Suryakumar Yadav propelled the Mumbai Indians (MI) to a commanding seven-wicket victory over the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
Chasing 174 runs, the five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) faced an early setback, losing their top-order batsmen Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, and Naman Dhir in quick succession to the formidable pace trio of Marco Jansen, Pat Cummins, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. With MI sinking to 31/3 in just 4.1 overs, the pressure was on.
However, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma rose to the occasion. Displaying remarkable resilience, Suryakumar and Tilak notched up a crucial 50-run partnership in just 27 balls, providing a solid foundation for the innings. Suryakumar’s explosive batting propelled MI closer to victory. His scintillating century, featuring 12 fours and six sixes, powered MI to a commanding total of 174/3 in just 17.2 overs. Tilak Varma also played a crucial role, remaining unbeaten on 37 off 32 balls, as MI secured a convincing win.
Earlier in the first innings, MI skipper Hardik Pandya and veteran spinner Piyush Chawla displayed stellar bowling performances, each securing three-wicket hauls, to curb Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to a moderate total of 173/8.
Travis Head (48) and Abhishek Sharma (11) provided a promising start for SRH with a solid 56-run partnership. However, MI’s Jasprit Bumrah struck early in the 6th over, claiming the wicket of Abhishek Sharma. This breakthrough marked the beginning of a challenging phase for SRH as they struggled to build substantial partnerships.
As the innings progressed, SRH found themselves losing wickets at regular intervals. Piyush Chawla and skipper Hardik Pandya made crucial contributions with the ball, taking key wickets. Head’s dismissal in the 11th over for just two runs was a significant setback for SRH, denying him the opportunity to reach his half-century. Despite hopes resting on Heinrich Klaasen to stabilize the innings, the South African cricketer fell victim to Chawla’s bowling in the 13th over.
The middle order collapse continued as MI’s bowling attack maintained relentless pressure. Shahbaz Ahmed, Marco Jansen, and Abdul Samad all fell cheaply, unable to withstand the onslaught. However, a resilient effort from Pat Cummins (35*) and Sanvir Singh (8) towards the end propelled SRH to a moderate total of 173/8.
MI Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to bowl first against Pat Cummins-led SunRisers Hyderabad. After winning the toss MI captain Pandya said, “We’re going to bowl first. Wicket looks fresh. Might have something with the new ball, want to exploit that. Anshul Kambhoj makes his debut. It’s all about playing for pride, play for the badge. And for fans who have been with us through thick and thin.”
SRH skipper Cummins at the toss said, “Got Agarwal coming back to the side, will bat at three. Dew is a factor here, but we have been batting well. Got four games left, will probably need to win two of those. But we’re not thinking that far ahead.”
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Ishan Kishan(w), Rohit Sharma, Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Tim David, Anshul Kamboj, Piyush Chawla, Jasprit Bumrah, Nuwan Thushara
Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Mayank Agarwal, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Marco Jansen, Pat Cummins(c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan
