Mumbai: Belief – a simple six-letter word. But it is this characteristic that changes a team from ordinary to the extra-ordinary. It is this belief that enabled Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) beat Mumbai Indians (MI) by 31 runs at the Wankhede Stadium here Tuesday.
Defending a total of 118 all out in 18.4 overs, SRH took just a delivery more to dismiss MI for 87. In the process, MI equalled their lowest-ever total which they had done in 2011 against Kings XI Punjab in 2011.
The wicket, no doubt was difficult, double-paced and had turn. Bowlers of both sides made merry, but the SRH batsmen showed a little more application than their counterparts. Siddharth Kaul (3/23) was the most successful bowler for the winners, but in essence it was that four overs of leg-spin by Rashid Khan (2/11) that really put Mumbai out of the reckoning. Khan was ably-supported by Basil Thampi (2/4 off 1.5 overs), Shakib Al Hasan (1/16), Sandip Sharma (1/9) and Mohammed Nabi (1/23).
Only Surya Kumar Yadav (34) and Krunal Pandya (24) managed to get into scores of double digit, for the rest it was just a procession of coming and going.
Backed up by some astute captaincy by Kane Williamson, the SRH bowlers came to the party when they were needed the most. Again it was just belief that saw them through, otherwise how could a hard-hitting batsman like Hardik Pandya play a maiden and that too in the 17th over of the innings. The IPL at times do throw up miracles, Tuesday’s game certainly was one.
Earlier, the under-pressure defending champions MI, after winning the toss and opting to field first, bowled out a depleted SRH for 118. The visitors’ batting came a cropper against a determined home side bowling.
Skipper Kane Williamson (29), Yusuf Pathan (29) were the only SRH batsmen to offer some resistance as the Hyderabad outfit lasted 18.4 overs. For Mumbai, young leg-spinner Mayank Markhande (2/15), Kiwi pacer Mitchell McClenaghan (2/22) and Indian all-rounder Hardik (2/20) bowled brilliantly to pack off the visitors for the season’s lowest total.
The Sunrisers started in encouraging fashion with their in-form skipper Williamson striking Jasprit Bumrah (1/25) for two fours in successive balls in the first over. But the visitors lost the wickets of Shikhar Dhawan (five), back in the side after missing the previous game against Chennai Super Kings due to an elbow injury, and out-of-form Wridhiman Saha (zero) in three balls in the second over from McClenaghan.
From 20 for two, there was a brief recovery to 44 for two before the visitors lost two more wickets in quick succession. Manish Pandey (16) and Shakib Al Hasan (two) were then dismissed in quick succession as SRH were reduced to 46/4 in the sixth over.
The dismissal of Williamson in the ninth over off Pandya left Sunrisers tottering at 63 for five. Pathan, after losing out of partners at the other end, was finally got out as the last wicket of SRH.
Agencies
