The Mumbai Indians (MI) clinched a remarkable victory at their fortress, the Wankhede Stadium, with a seven-wicket triumph over the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). This win marks MI’s fourth success in the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, fueled by a scintillating century from Suryakumar Yadav, accompanied by vital support from Tilak Varma during the run-chase.
Continuing the prevailing trend of the TATA IPL 2024, MI won the toss and opted to bowl first against a formidable SRH batting lineup. MI introduced right-arm medium-pacer Anshul Kamboj into their squad, while SRH strengthened their batting by reintroducing the experienced Mayank Agarwal.
During the powerplay, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma were aggressive, securing boundaries at regular intervals. Drama ensued in the fifth over when Kamboj began his spell. Head smashed a six off Kamboj’s second delivery, but Kamboj then bowled him, only for it to be a no-ball. Taking advantage, Head struck the subsequent free hit for a four, followed by another boundary.
However, just before the end of the powerplay, Jasprit Bumrah provided MI their first breakthrough by dismissing Abhishek Sharma for 11 off 16 balls, who was caught behind.
Entering the eighth over of the innings, the debutant Kamboj claimed a significant wicket by bowling out Mayank Agarwal. SRH’s innings were marred by the continual loss of wickets. Despite an opening partnership of 56 runs, no other partnerships exceeded the 50-run mark. Various batters got off to good starts but failed to convert them into substantial scores.
The turning point came when MI grabbed the wicket of Head, who was dismissed for 48 in the 12th over. SRH found themselves struggling, reaching 136 for eight in the 17th over, prompting them to introduce Sanvir Singh as the impact player.
Thanks to a late blitz from Pat Cummins, who scored an aggressive 35 off just 17 balls, including two sixes and two fours, SRH managed to post 173 runs. The 37-run partnership for the last wicket between Cummins and Singh was crucial, giving SRH’s bowlers a target they could defend. It also showed that defending moderate totals at the Wankhede wasn’t out of reach, as exhibited by Kolkata Knight Riders against MI at the same venue.
Hardik Pandya, the MI captain, was one of the most successful bowlers with figures of three for 31. Piyush Chawla also played a pivotal role, clinching three wickets for 33 runs.
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In response, MI’s run-chase began on a positive note, with the openers racing to 26 runs within two overs. Both Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma appeared in great form. However, SRH soon struck back, with Marco Jansen dismissing Ishan who edged a delivery to slip. In the fourth over, Rohit Sharma top-edged a delivery, and the wicketkeeper caught it, resulting in another blow for MI. In the very next over, Naman Dhir edged a delivery from Bhuvneshwar Kumar to first slip, reducing MI to a precarious 31 for three in the fifth over.
It was at this juncture that Suryakumar Yadav took matters into his own hands, demonstrating that attack is the best form of defense. His counter-attack began with a boundary off Bhuvneshwar Kumar early in his innings. Tilak Varma supported him, taking the attack to Cummins in the sixth over. At the close of the powerplay, MI had recovered to 52 for three.
With the fielding restrictions lifted, Suryakumar’s aggression did not wane. He plundered 22 runs off Marco Jansen in the seventh over, including two sixes and two fours.
Post the powerplay, it was a one-man show from Suryakumar, who left no room for the SRH bowlers to stage a comeback. Tilak Varma anchored the other end, allowing Suryakumar to exhibit his full range of strokes. At a venue where he had scored his maiden T20 century last season, Suryakumar once again showcased his class in a run-chase scenario.
Suryakumar reached his fifty in just 30 balls. What followed was an astounding display of T20 batting as he completed his century in merely 51 balls. MI secured victory with 16 balls to spare when Suryakumar hammered T Natarajan for a six in the 18th over, reaching his century and sealing the win for his team.
Suryakumar’s memorable century not only secured the win but also highlighted why he is regarded as one of the most dangerous batsmen in T20 cricket. MI fans at the Wankhede Stadium were treated to a masterclass, as their team surged to a commanding seven-wicket win over SRH.
