The Mumbai Indians (MI) celebrated a spirited seven-wicket victory over the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the iconic Wankhede Stadium. This victory marked MI’s fourth triumph in the Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, with Suryakumar Yadav’s outstanding century and vital support from Tilak Varma being the key ingredients of their successful run-chase.
Following the prevailing trend of TATA IPL 2024, MI captain Rohit Sharma elected to bowl first upon winning the toss. Their strategy included bringing in right-arm medium pacer Anshul Kamboj, while SRH bolstered their lineup with the inclusion of the experienced Mayank Agarwal to strengthen their batting order.
In the early stages of the match, SRH’s openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma bristled with aggression, regularly finding the boundary during the powerplay. The fifth over, bowled by debutant Kamboj, was fraught with drama. Head, looking aggressive, launched a six off the second delivery. Yet, a twist of fate saw him bowled off a no-ball by Kamboj on the very next delivery, only to hit a four off the free-hit and another boundary soon after. Nonetheless, MI clinched their first breakthrough when Abhishek Sharma (11 off 16) was caught behind off Jasprit Bumrah at the end of the powerplay.
Kamboj claimed his debut wicket in the eighth over by clean bowling Mayank Agarwal. SRH’s travails continued as their innings was punctuated by regular wickets, saving them from establishing stable partnerships. Apart from their opening stand of 56, no other partnerships exceeded 50 runs. Midway through the innings, when MI dismissed a well-set Travis Head for 48 in the 12th over, SRH’s innings faced a significant setback. By the 17th over, they were teetering at 136 for eight, prompting the introduction of Sanvir Singh as an impact player in a bid to salvage the innings.
The tail-end saw Pat Cummins’ aggressive cameo, which was crucial in lifting SRH past 170 runs. Cummins scored a quickfire 35 off just 17 balls, clubbing two sixes and as many fours. His 37-run partnership for the last wicket provided SRH a defendable total of 173 runs. This last-wicket stand was inspirational for SRH, especially considering MI’s historic struggles chasing similar scores at the Wankhede.
. Notably, MI’s captain Hardik Pandya emerged as the most successful bowler with figures of three for 31, while veteran spinner Piyush Chawla provided essential support with his three for 33.
The MI run-chase began aggressively, with openers Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma racing to 26 runs within the first two overs. However, SRH soon clawed back into the game. Marco Jansen dismissed Ishan, who edged to slip, and in the fourth over, Rohit Sharma top-edged a delivery to be caught by the wicketkeeper. The tale of early dismissals continued as Naman Dhir edged to first slip off Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the fifth over, leaving MI in dire straits at 31 for three.
At this juncture, Suryakumar Yadav took charge, embodying the adage that the best defense is a good offense. He opened his account with a confident four off Bhuvneshwar Kumar. His ally, Tilak Varma, also joined the action by targeting Pat Cummins’ bowling in the sixth over. By the end of the powerplay, MI had steadied somewhat at 52 for three.
Suryakumar’s approach was relentless even as the field spread out. He extracted 22 runs off a single Marco Jansen over in the seventh, courtesy of two sixes and two fours. This onslaught ensured that SRH’s bowlers had little respite or chance for a comeback. With Tilak providing steady backup at the other end, Suryakumar flourished. His fifty came off 30 balls, but the subsequent fifty was a blistering display of T20 batting, taking just 21 balls to reach his century.
In a fitting climax to the chase, Suryakumar sealed the match with a towering six off T Natarajan in the 18th over, also bringing up his century in style. MI reached the target with 16 balls to spare, with Suryakumar Yadav’s remarkable hundred being the highlight of the night and a treat for the enthusiastic MI supporters at the stadium.
This emphatic victory not only showcased MI’s depth and resilience but also highlighted the spectacular form of Suryakumar Yadav, underlining his pivotal role in the team’s fortunes this season.