IPL: Sunrisers Hyderabad leave Mumbai Indians in tatters, move to third place

MUMBAI: Rohit Sharma, the Mumbai Indians skipper, had little hesitation in asking Sunrisers Hyderabad to bat after he called right during the toss in their IPL clash at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday evening. He reckoned that no total was big enough to defend at the venue and hence the decision.
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However, Kane Williamson and Co. proved that no total was small enough if a team was willing to bowl its heart out, even if that meant defending a paltry 118 runs.SRH pulled off a sensational 31-run win to leave the capacity crowd stunned.
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Opener Suryakumar Yadav top-scored for Mumbai with 34 runs. He was the sixth man out with the score on 77. Legspinner Rashid Khan, on the other hand, was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/11.
The hosts found themselves in a hole straight away when they were reduced to 21/3 in the middle of the sixth over, with opener Evin Lewis (5 runs), Ishan Kishan (0) and Rohit (2) back in the dugout. Medium-pacer Sandeep Sharma was the star in this phase, claiming Lewis and giving away only nine runs in three overs. He was inducted into the XI in place of Aussie fast bowler Billy Stanlake, who has returned home with a broken finger and will take no further part in the tournament.
The collapse also meant that Yadav and Krunal Pandya, who came into bat at No. 5, were forced to play the waiting game before they could score freely. They withstood some nervous moments but a flurry of strokes ensured that Mumbai reached 50/3 in nine overs.
With the score on 61, Pandya was dismissed leg-before wicket to Rashid off a review and the match was back on an even keel. Kieron Pollard soothed a few frayed nerves with a six over mid-wicket, but the excitement was short-lived as he became Rashid’s second victim, caught by Dhawan for 9.
MI, who were left bruised after four defeats in their first five games are now staring at an early exit from the competition and need to win at least seven of their remaining eight games to harbour any hope of a place in the play-offs.
Meanwhile, Williamson and Yusuf Pathan top-scored for the visitors with 29 runs each, while legspinner Mayank Markande was Mumbai’s most successful bowler, returning with figures of 2/15 in 3 overs. Fast bowlers Mitchell McClenaghan (2/22) and Hardik Pandya (2/20) too enjoyed successful outings.
After three successive wins, SRH had endured a dip in performance and that reflected sharply in the forgettable batting display when none of the batsmen could do anything of note. In fact, Pathan hit his team’s first six on the third ball of the 19th over.