Sunrisers Hyderabad, playing without strike bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, defended a meagre 118 against a batting-heavy Mumbai Indians in their IPL match here on Tuesday.
Rashid Khan (4-1-11-2) wrecked the home team, supported by fast bowlers Siddarth Kaul (three for 23) and Basil Thampi (two for four).
The chase fell apart and MI ended up 87 all out in 18.5 overs to hand the visitors victory by 31 runs, their fourth win in six games. Suryakumar Yadav’s gritty 34 went in vain.
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Forced to take risks in an effort to break the bowlers’ hold, the hosts kept losing wickets. Shakib Al Hasan lured Rohit Sharma into a drive, the ball looping into slip’s hands.
MI needed calm heads at the crease after the PowerPlay overs fetched just 22 runs. Krunal Pandya rose to the challenge and masterminded the chase in the company of a confident Suryakumar Yadav.
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The threat from the fast bowlers was neutralised with carpet drives. Rashid Khan kept his nerve to remove Krunal (24, 20b) and the dangerous Kieron Pollard (9, 6b).
The home team suffered its fifth loss, the third in front of home fans and on Sachin Tendulkar’s birthday.
Earlier, SRH was boosted by Shikhar Dhawan’s return. The left-hander took a painful knock on the knee from Mitchell McClenaghan, limped away from the crease and then played the wrong line to lose his stump the next ball. Kane Williamson’s fluent off-side drives forced Jasprit Bumrah out of the attack, but three quick dismissals forced Sunrisers into a slide as they were 51 for four after the PowerPlay overs.
Mumbai tightened the grip, the bowlers responding with a clutch of wickets.
Hardik struck a lethal blow by sending back Williamson with a ball which seamed in off the pitch. Ishan Kishan behind the stumps snapped up the edge with ease.
Mayank Markande bamboozled Mohammad Nabi with a googly while Bumrah recovered from a mauling in the first spell to remove Rashid. The onus was on Yusuf Pathan to rattle up quick runs as Sunrisers crawled to 106 for seven in 15 overs. The tailenders swung and missed, frustrating Yusuf.
He scored the first six of the match in the 19th over before holing out to Hardik at deep square-leg.
Hardik, McClenaghan and Markande claimed two wickets each as the visitors crashed to 118 in 18.4 overs, but even that total proved beyond Mumbai.