The Mumbai Indians (MI) celebrated a triumphant return to their home ground, Wankhede Stadium, with a commanding seven-wicket win over the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Match 55 of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. This victory marks MI’s fourth win of the season, propelled by a spectacular century from Suryakumar Yadav, complemented by crucial support from Tilak Varma during the run chase.
In accordance with the prevailing trend of TATA IPL 2024, MI opted to bowl first after winning the toss, gearing up to face the formidable SRH batting lineup. MI’s strategy included the introduction of Anshul Kamboj, a right-arm medium pacer, while SRH strengthened their batting with the return of the seasoned Mayank Agarwal.
The SRH batting innings kicked off with aggression, as Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma took charge during the powerplay, finding boundaries with ease. The fifth over, bowled by Kamboj, proved to be action-packed. Head’s aggressive intent resulted in a six off the second delivery, but drama unfolded when Kamboj bowled him out, only for it to be nullified as a no-ball. Head seized the opportunity, hitting the subsequent free-hit for a four and following it up with another boundary. As the powerplay neared its conclusion, Jasprit Bumrah provided MI with their first breakthrough by claiming Abhishek’s wicket for 11 off 16 balls.
Mayank Agarwal’s stint at the crease was short-lived as he was bowled out by debutant Kamboj in the eighth over. SRH’s innings were marred by the loss of wickets at regular intervals, hindering their progress. The opening partnership of 56 was the best they could muster, and no other partnership surpassed the 50-run mark. Various SRH batters managed to get starts but failed to convert them into substantial scores. Head’s dismissal for 48 in the 12th over was a significant blow, leaving SRH struggling at 136 for eight in the 17th over, which prompted them to bring in Sanvir Singh as the impact player.
In the closing stages, Pat Cummins’ aggressive batting proved vital for SRH. He scored a brisk 35 off just 17 balls, featuring two sixes and two fours, enabling SRH to reach a total of 173. The 37-run partnership for the last wicket added valuable runs for SRH, providing their bowlers with a defendable target. Inspiration was drawn from a similar scenario where KKR successfully defended a comparable score against MI at the same venue.
. MI’s bowlers, led by captain Hardik Pandya with figures of three for 31 and Piyush Chawla’s three for 33, played pivotal roles in restricting SRH.
MI began their run chase with a flourish, as openers Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma swiftly added 26 runs within the first two overs. However, SRH struck back when Marco Jansen induced an edge from Ishan, who was caught at slip. In the fourth over, Rohit Sharma’s top-edge was safely caught by the wicketkeeper. The team faced further setbacks as Naman Dhir was dismissed early by Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the fifth over, leaving MI in a precarious position at 31 for three.
Enter Suryakumar Yadav, whose innings was nothing short of a masterclass in aggressive batting. Starting with a boundary off Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suryakumar soon found his rhythm. Tilak Varma provided valuable support, playing second fiddle while launching an attack on Pat Cummins in the sixth over. At the conclusion of the powerplay, MI stood at 52 for three.
The fielding restrictions lifted, but it did not affect Suryakumar’s aggressive approach. In the seventh over, he took on Marco Jansen, smashing 22 runs off the over with two sixes and two fours. From that point forward, Suryakumar dominated the proceedings. Tilak held his end, giving Suryakumar the freedom to unleash a flurry of attacking shots, effectively neutralizing the SRH bowlers. Notably, this performance at Wankhede Stadium mirrored Suryakumar’s maiden century in the TATA IPL the previous year, but this time during a run chase.
It took Suryakumar just 30 balls to reach his fifty. His next fifty came in an even more accelerated fashion, racing to his century in only 21 more balls. The climax came in the 18th over when Suryakumar dispatched T Natarajan for a six, reaching his century and sealing the victory for MI with 16 balls to spare. Suryakumar’s unbeaten hundred was a brilliant display of T20 cricket, etched in the memories of the MI supporters who witnessed his exceptional performance.