Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by 3 runs at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday to stay in the hunt for the IPL 2022 playoffs. SRH also ended a five-match losing streak with a thrilling victory.
Mumbai Indians, already out of the race, put up a brave fight but Tim David’s stunning 18-ball 46 was not good enough after a strong start from Rohit Sharma (48) and Ishan Kishan (43).
IPL 2022, MI vs SRH Highlights
Chasing 194, Rohit and Ishan added 95 for the first wicket but Mumbai Indians lost their way thereafter. Ishan Kishan was dismissed soon after Rohit’s exit while Tilak Varma and Daniel Sams were sent back by Umran Malik in the same over.
Tim David hit T Natarajan for four sixes in the 18th over but his run-out with two overs left in the innings, meant it was going to be an uphill task for an inexperienced lower-order.
Rohit Sharma made two changes to Mumbai Indians’ playing XI while Sunrisers Hyderabad gave Priyam Garg his maiden game this season. And perhaps, that’s where the difference was made.
MI made those changes to ensure as many players got game time with the next season to think of while SRH’s two changes were tactical. Priyam Garg replaced Shashank Singh while Marco Jansen made way for Fazalhaq Farooqi.
And it was Priyam Garg who set the tone for SRH with a rapid 42 after Kane Williamson decided to drop himself down the order. But the real impact was made by Rahul Tripathi once again and led the charge for SRH with 76 off 44 balls.
Rahul Tripathi was first involved in an 88-run stand with Garg and then added 76 with Nicholas Poooran (38) as SRH got to 193 for 6 off 20 overs. Ramandeep Singh, 3 for 20, was the pick of the bowlers for Mumbai Indians who did well to keep SRH under 200 after being under the pump for the better part of the innings.
ROHIT SHINES, DAVID EXPLODES
Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan gave Mumbai Indians a strong start to their chase of 194. It was a crucial game for Sunrisers Hyderabad and a lot of other teams.
A defeat for Sunrisers Hyderabad would have knocked them out of contention for the playoffs while defeat for MI would have almost ensured a last-placed finish for the most successful team in IPL history.
Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan have struggled at the top but on Tuesday, in one of their rare displays of top notch batting this season, the two MI openers dominated SRH.
Rohit and Ishan needed to give MI a super solid platform to launch an attack on a hefty target and they did just that.
Rohit Sharma hit 48 off 36 balls with 2 fours and 4 sixes while Ishan Kishan hit 43 off 34 – his innings was studded with 5 fours and a six.
However, both MI openers fell within quick succession of each other.
Rohit Sharma was removed by Washington Sundar after the MI captain had added 95 for the opening wicket in 10.4 overs. Ishan Kishan was dismissed in the 12th over by Umran Malik and that brought together Daniel Sams and Tilak Varma to the crease.
In their last match against Chennai Super Kings, Tilak Varma had played a matured innings which prompted Rohit Sharma to say that the 19-year-old had the potential to become an all-format player for India.
Umran Malik had bowled an erratic first over, spiced up the game with the wickets of Tilak Varma and Daniel Sams in his third over. Tim David was the man in focus for MI at that stage and he hit T Natarajan for back-to-back boundaries to keep the five-time champions in the hunt for 194.
Tristan Stubbs, who was out for a duck on IPL debut against Chennai Super Kings last week, was run out when a Tim David drive ricocheted off Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s hand and hit the stumps at the non-striker’s end in the 17th over.
Mumbai Indians needed 44 off the last 3 overs but Tim David was in no mood to give up. He hit Natarajan for a six over extra cover and then hammered another six on the leg-side after Natarajan bowled a juicy full-toss. That was not the end of the assault on Natarajan. Tim David hit two more sixes before he was run out of the final ball in an attempt to steal a quick single and keep the strike.
Tim David, though, had done his job with 46 off 18 balls and it was over to the lower-order who had to face Bhuvneshwar and Umran Malik for the last two overs.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar responded with a wicket-maiden while Umran Malik defended 18 off the final over as Sunrisers Hyderabad victory to keep their hopes of a playoffs spot sealed alive.
RAHUL LEADS SRH ASSAULT
Rohit Sharma did not give any specific reason for Mumbai Indians’ decision to field first but Kane Williamson was happy Sunrisers Hyderabad were batting. He said that’s what he would have done anyway and his batters would have thrilled him with some breathtaking shots.
On Tuesday, Kane Williamson dropped himself down the order and Priyam Garg walked out to open with Abhishek Sharma.
The hard-hitting Abhishek Sharma was out early, falling to Daniel Sams but Priyam Garg made the most of his opportunity with a swashbuckling 42 off 26 balls. His innings was laced with 4 fours and 2 sixes and it left SRH fans wondering why he did not get a game before Tuesday night this season.
Priyam Garg found an able ally in Rahul Tripathi and the sent the MI bowlers on a leather chase at the Wankhede Stadium. The two added 88 runs in 7.1 overs to give the Sunrisers a rousing start to the innings.
Garg was dismissed by Ramandeep Singh in the 10th over but by then, he had given SRH a solid platform.
Rahul Tripathi then joined forces with Nicholas Pooran who hit Riley Meredith for two sixes in an over to announce his intentions. The pair showed no mercy to any of the Mumbai bowlers as SRH sought two crucial points with the playoffs race picking intensity.
Rahul Tripathi smashed his third fifty of the season while Pooran continued his carnage against MI.
Jasprit Bumrah, who has been sensational for MI in the last few matches, conceded 20 runs in his first two overs but bowled a good third one, giving away just 5 runs.
After being hit for a coupe of sixes, Meredith had his revenge when he removed Pooran who was caught by
Mayank Markande at deep backward square leg.
Nicholas Pooran fell for a 22-ball 38 after adding 76 off 42 balls who was still going strong in the 17th over.
Ramandeep Singh struck twice in the next over to dismiss Rahul Tripathi and Aiden Markram as MI tried to launch a fightback after some sensational stroke play from SRH’s batters.
Kane Williamson came in at No.6 but that did not change his fortunes with the bat as the SRH captain continued to struggle. At one stage, they were primed for a lot more than 200 but quick wickets, Williamson’s form and Washington Sundar’s failure to hit the boundaries hampered their progress. SRH managed only 29 runs off the last four overs and eventually reached 193 for 6 off their 20 overs.
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