Rohit Sharma struck a commanding 70 to power Mumbai Indians to a dominant seven-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their Indian Premier League clash at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Wednesday.
The Mumbai skipper’s knock, his second consecutive half-century, came off just 46 deliveries and included eight boundaries and three sixes, showcasing his vintage form. Chasing a modest target of 144, MI romped home in 15.4 overs, finishing at 146/3 with 26 balls to spare. Suryakumar Yadav chipped in with an unbeaten 40 off 19 balls, studded with five fours and two sixes.
This triumph marked Mumbai Indians’ fourth consecutive win, catapulting them from sixth to third place on the points table. The victory was also their second over SRH this season, having edged past them in a four-wicket thriller earlier in Mumbai.
The tone for MI’s chase was set early. Rohit, deployed as an impact substitute, immediately found rhythm. He launched Pat Cummins’ off-cutter over deep square leg for a six and followed it up with a crisp boundary. When Jaydev Unadkat tried to take the pace off in the fourth over, Rohit countered with a soaring six over cover.
Rohit, who had appeared in form recently but without a substantial score, executed a blend of caution and aggression to anchor the chase. His masterful innings ensured SRH had no opportunity to mount a comeback.
Earlier, SRH were left ruing yet another top-order collapse. They had slumped to 35 for 5 inside the powerplay, courtesy of incisive bowling by Trent Boult (4/26) and Deepak Chahar (2/12). A measured knock of 71 from Heinrich Klaasen, supported by Abhinav Manohar’s 43, helped SRH crawl to 143/8.
Klaasen’s 44-ball innings included nine boundaries and two sixes, and he stitched a 99-run stand with Manohar. Yet, the damage done in the first six overs proved irreparable.
Travis Head was the first to depart, attempting to chase a wide one from Boult and edging it to Naman Dhir at third man. Abhishek Sharma and Nitish Kumar Reddy followed quickly, falling to tame dismissals. Aniket Verma’s short stay was ended by Hardik Pandya with a well-directed short ball.
Klaasen tried to inject momentum, striking a couple of clean boundaries off Vignesh Puthur and Hardik, but lacked adequate support. Manohar, initially scratchy, eventually got going with three sixes, but the total remained below par.
Klaasen’s resistance ended in the penultimate over when he was caught by Tilak Varma off Jasprit Bumrah, giving the Indian pacer his 300th T20 wicket. Boult wrapped up the innings with Manohar’s dismissal.
Despite Klaasen’s efforts, it was an uphill task for a demoralised SRH side, who now sit second from bottom on the table and face a steep climb to keep their campaign alive.
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