The Mumbai Indians (MI) staged an impressive performance on home soil, securing a comfortable seven-wicket triumph against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Wankhede Stadium. With this win, MI chalked up their fourth victory in the ongoing Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, thanks to a breathtaking century from their star batsman Suryakumar Yadav, complemented by a solid contribution from youngster Tilak Varma.
In line with the predictable strategies of this season’s IPL, MI won the toss and chose to field first, predicting that the dew factor and pitch conditions would be in their favor later in the game. As MI brought in right-arm medium pacer Anshul Kamboj to freshen up their bowling attack, SRH re-introduced experienced batter Mayank Agarwal, aiming to add stability to their lineup.
The opening duo for SRH, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, were assertive during the powerplay. They consistently found the boundary, setting a strong pace for the innings. Drama unfolded when Kamboj joined the bowling attack, with Head aggressively turning a no-ball into an opportunity, hitting a six followed by back-to-back fours. However, MI’s breakthrough came shortly after when pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah managed to send Sharma back to the pavilion with just 11 runs to his name.
Mayank Agarwal’s wicket fell soon after, victim to Kamboj’s delivery, signaling the start of problems for SRH as they began to lose wickets at regular intervals. Despite a promising opening partnership of 56, none of the subsequent partnerships for SRH managed to cross the half-century mark. This lack of consolidation resulted in their batters failing to convert starts into more substantial scores, and when Head departed for a well-made 48, MI secured a much-needed wicket.
In the critical phase of their innings, SRH found themselves reeling at 136 for eight, leading them to introduce Sanvir Singh as the impact player. SRH’s hopes were reignited by an aggressive cameo from Pat Cummins, who smashed 35 off 17 balls, including two sixes and two fours, propelling his team to a respectable total of 173. His crucial partnership for the last wicket added 37 runs, providing the SRH bowlers with a competitive score to defend.
MI’s response started off in blistering fashion, with openers Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma racing to 26 runs within the first two overs. However, the tide turned quickly as MI lost Kishan to a catch at slip, Sharma to a top-edged catch behind the stumps, and Naman Dhir to a slip catch off Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s bowling. MI suddenly found themselves in a precarious position at 31 for three.
It was at this juncture that Suryakumar Yadav commenced his masterclass, striking the ball cleanly and confidently to signify a counterattacking strategy. With Tilak Varma joining in, and specifically taking on Cummins, the run rate recovered significantly, bringing MI to 52 for three by the end of the powerplay.
Suryakumar maintained his fearless approach even as the field spread, taking a particularly heavy toll on Marco Jansen in the seventh over, rocketing 22 runs with some emphatic hitting. The partnership between him and Tilak left no room for SRH bowlers to claw back into the game. Suryakumar, who last year notched up his maiden IPL century at the same venue, once again put on a batting clinic, this time snatching away the match in a run-chase scenario.
Suryakumar required merely 30 deliveries to cross the half-century mark and continued his onslaught with breathtaking aggression, reaching the next fifty in only 21 balls. Victory for MI was sealed in style as Suryakumar dispatched T Natarajan over the ropes for a six, bringing up his century and guiding his team past the finish line with 16 balls to spare.
MI’s emphatic win was largely attributed to Suryakumar’s heroic century, which left the home crowd in raptures and further cemented his reputation as one of the most explosive batsmen in the T20 format.