The defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) become the first team to concede less than 200 runs at Sharjah in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 after they successfully defended 208 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). MI’s batting firepower helped them surpass the tally of 200 runs and the target turned too much for SRH who lost the game by 34 runs.
After opting to first, MI lost their skipper Rohit Sharma in the first over itself and event Suryakumar Yadav all got out on 27. At 48/2, Ishan Kishan and Quinton de Kock joined hands and played some exciting strokes taking advantage of the short boundaries. The duo added 78 runs for the third wicket, but Rashid Khan snaffled De Kock for 67 while Kishan also got out in the 15th over with 147 runs on the board. Once again, Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard joined the party to smack the bowlers.
WATCH – Krunal Pandya Smashed 20 Runs In The Last Four Balls
They added 41 runs only in 26 balls before Pandya got out to Siddarth Kaul. MI, however, managed to cross the 200-run mark thanks to Krunal Pandya’s assault as he came out and swung his bat to score 20* off just 4 balls with two sixes and as many fours. MI managed to finish on 208 runs for the loss of five wickets while for SRH, T Natarajan picking two wickets after conceding just 29 runs in his four overs.
David Warner needed to come back in form for SRH while chasing a higher target and he did just that when the rest of the batsmen kept getting out. Jonny Bairstow got out to Trent Boult after scoring 25 off 15 balls. But then Manish Pandeyadded 60 runs for the second-wicket partnership, but he was dismissed by James Pattinson and the game turned the game on its head.
WATCH – Manish Pandey Took A Flying Catch To Dismiss Ishan Kishan
Even Kane Williamson and Priyam Garg got out in quick succession putting more pressure on the team. Rohit Sharma rotated his bowlers superbly and son after Warner completed his fifty, Pattinson dismissed the southpaw in the 16th over of the innings as MI effectively closed out the game. Abhishek Sharma and Abdul Samad tried their best to get close to the target but SRH could eventually reach only 174 runs to lose the game by 34 runs.
Hits
Quinton de Kock
After failing on a consistent basis in the first three matches of the IPL 2020, MI wicket-keeper batsman, Quinton de Kock was desperate to score and he roared when it mattered the most. De Kock amassed as many as 67 runs in just 39 deliveries with the help of four 4s and as many as 6s.
James Pattinson
James Pattinson has always been a go-to bowler for MI and he didn’t disappoint when the team needed him. Bowling his third over managed to scalp Manish Pandey on the penultimate itself. He completed his spell after scalping 2 wickets and conceded just 29 runs.
Flops
Jonny Bairstow
It’s been the second consecutive game when Jonny Bairstow has failed to deliver when the team needed him. Apart from his fifty against RCB, he has been a disappointment for SRH.
T Natarajan
After bowling match-winning spells against CSK and KKR, T Natarajan has failed to take wickets for SRH. In order to Sunrisers have a chance to reach the playoffs, Natarajan needs to be more consistent, especially after the injury of Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
