On a surface which was good to bat on early in the innings, the Mumbai Indians won the toss and elected to field. None of us had anticipated the game to feature such numerous shifts in momentum.
Travis Head, playing his 1st IPL game for SRH made his intentions clear taking on the bowlers early on. The Australian opener came out swinging right from the start. Well that’s what we do expect from the Australians. He came in and started his innings in the sixth gear, batting fearlessly.
Hardik’s end switch proved effective, leading to the dismissal of Mayank Agarwal (11 off 13). Head’s contribution facilitated SRH in achieving their fastest 50 during the powerplay in IPL history, scoring 81 for the loss of only 1 wicket. Abhishek Sharma joined the momentum, partnering with Travis Head. Head made an impressive debut by scoring the fastest individual 50 for SRH but was later caught by Gerald Coetzee. Klassen and Markram further fueled SRH’s momentum.
Mumbai Indians chipped in with the wickets but more than half the damage was done by that time.
SRH became the first team to bring up 200 inside 15 overs. Everyone else other than Bumrah from the Mumbai bowling cartel went expensive. It was not just the explosiveness of SRH batters, but the bowling from MI wasn’t disciplined as well. SRH soon crossed the highest total of IPL making themselves sit on the first place on the list. The onslaught went on and on as they took it to the next level scoring 277 for the loss of 3.
It was a mammoth task for the Mumbai Indians to chase the target.
Rohit Sharma (26 off 12) and Ishan Kishan (34 off 13) came out and started slapping straight away. It seemed that batters from both the parties had come out practicing range hitting. Mumbai came out firing. Captain Cummins soon got the better of his opposite captain Rohit Sharma.
Tilak Verma (64 off 34) and Naman Dhir (30 off 14) attempted to stabilize the innings but were eventually dismissed. Verma displayed a variety of shots, consistently finding the boundaries. Mumbai Indians’ response was remarkable to witness. Tim David (42 not out off 22), towards the end, injected some excitement into the match with powerful hits, revitalizing the contest. However, the SRH bowlers, especially their captain, Pat Cummins with his two wickets maintained tight control over their bowling, securing a memorable victory for the team winning by 31 runs.
The Mumbai Indians must regroup before their upcoming match against the Rajasthan Royals, marking their first home game on April 1, 2024. Meanwhile, the Sunrisers Hyderabad, riding high on momentum, will face off against the Gujarat Titans on March 31, 2024.
The Sportz Planet Desk,
Atharva Shetye.
