The Mumbai Indians (MI) exhibited a spectacular performance at their home ground, Wankhede Stadium, as they clinched a resounding seven-wicket victory over the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). This fourth win in the Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season for MI was highlighted by a dazzling century from Suryakumar Yadav, who received crucial support from Tilak Varma in the chase.
Following the pattern seen throughout the TATA IPL 2024, MI captain Rohit Sharma chose to bowl first after winning the toss, taking on the robust SRH batting lineup. MI made an interesting change by introducing right-arm medium pacer Anshul Kamboj to their squad, while SRH bolstered their batting by bringing back the experienced Mayank Agarwal.
The match’s initial overs saw a flurry of activity from SRH’s openers, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, who aggressively targeted the MI bowlers during the powerplay, regularly finding the boundary. Drama unfolded in the fifth over as Kamboj took the ball. Head launched a massive six off his second delivery, only for Kamboj to bowl him on the next ball, which, to his dismay, was declared a no-ball. Capitalizing on the reprieve, Head struck a four off the free-hit and followed it up with another boundary.
Just as the powerplay was drawing to a close, MI got their first breakthrough with Jasprit Bumrah, who had Abhishek Sharma caught behind for a tentative 11 off 16 balls. The eighth over saw the fall of Mayank Agarwal, who was bowled by Kamboj, making his mark on debut. SRH found it difficult to build partnerships, frequently losing wickets. The only significant partnership was the opening stand of 56 runs.
Notably, none of the subsequent partnerships crossed the 50-run mark. Various batsmen managed to get starts but failed to convert them into substantial scores. The decisive moment came in the 12th over with the dismissal of Travis Head for 48, handing MI a major advantage. By the 17th over, SRH was struggling at 136 for eight, prompting them to bring in Sanvir Singh as the impact player.
A late flourish by Pat Cummins, who scored a fiery 35 off just 17 balls, including two sixes and two fours, helped SRH push their total to 173.
. The crucial 37-run partnership for the last wicket gave SRH’s bowlers something to defend and offered a glimmer of hope based on precedent, as KKR had defended a similar total against MI at the same venue. Among MI’s bowlers, captain Hardik Pandya stood out with figures of three for 31, supported effectively by Piyush Chawla who took three for 33.
MI’s chase began on a strong note, with openers Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma racing to 26 within the first two overs, both looking in fine touch. However, SRH struck back quickly. Marco Jansen had Ishan Kishan caught at slip, and in the fourth over, Rohit Sharma’s mistimed shot led to his dismissal by the wicketkeeper. Early trouble deepened for MI when Naman Dhir was caught off a delivery from Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the fifth over, reducing MI to a precarious 31 for three.
At this crucial juncture, Suryakumar Yadav stepped up, showcasing his hallmark aggression. He initiated his onslaught with a crisp drive off Bhuvneshwar early in his innings. Tilak Varma, at the other end, complemented Suryakumar’s assault by taking on Pat Cummins in the sixth over. By the end of the powerplay, MI had advanced to 52 for three, recalibrating their innings.
As the field spread, Suryakumar did not allow his momentum to drop, targeting Marco Jansen in the seventh over for 22 runs, including two towering sixes and two fours. From this point, Suryakumar completely dominated the proceedings, leaving SRH’s bowlers with no respite. Tilak Varma held his ground steadfastly, providing the stability that enabled Suryakumar to play with freedom.
Suryakumar reached his fifty in just 30 balls. He then accelerated spectacularly, racing to his next fifty in just 21 deliveries, exemplifying exemplary T20 batting. The climax came in the 18th over when Suryakumar smashed T Natarajan for a six, sealing MI’s victory and completing his majestic century.
MI triumphed with 16 balls to spare, with Suryakumar Yadav’s century being the standout performance, securing a memorable win for his team.
