IPL 2024: Suryakumar special helps MI get off bottom spot, hurts SRH’s playoffs hopes

Mumbai came up with an all-round show to hurt Hyderabad’s chances of reaching the IPL 2024 playoffs as the 5-time champions clinched a 7-wicket win at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday, May 6.

The 5-time champions, who are no longer in the race for the playoffs, played the party popper’s role to perfection. Suryakumar Yadav battled discomfort in his legs to hit a match-winning 102 not out in 51 balls after captain Hardik Pandya and Piyush Chawla shone with the ball to help MI get off the bottom spot in the points table.

Chasing 174 on a pitch that was the bowlers’ friend for most of the game, MI were reduced to 31 for 3 after their top-order batters, including Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan, were dismissed for single-digit scores. However, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan stitched 143 runs for the 4th wicket in just 69 deliveries as they helped Mumbai complete the chase in just 17.2 overs.

Suryakumar Yadav was struggling to run between the wickets, but he did not give up and only relied on big-hitting in the latter half of MI’s chase. Suryakumar hit a six to get to his second IPL hundred and take MI past the finish line.

Suryakumar hit 6 sixes and 12 boundaries in one of his finest IPL knocks as the World No.1 T20I batter used all his experience to rescue MI and help them clinch 2 rare points in the ongoing season. Tilak Varma played a crucial hand as the young left-hander was solid at the other end. Tilak finished with 37 from 32 balls, but his knock was worth its weight in gold.

It was Suryakumar Yadav’s second IPL hundred and his sixth three-figure score in T20 cricket. The India star became only the second batter after Rohit Sharm to hit more than one hundred for MI in the history of the tournament.

MI were 36 for 3 at the end of the 5th over, but Suryakumar and Tilak made their intentions clear by attacking Cummins in the final over of the powerplay. In the 7th over, Suryakumar tore into Marco Jansen, hitting him for 2 sixes and as many boundaries.

With the win, MI took their tally to 8 points in 12 matches and pushed Gujarat to the bottom of the points table. On the other hand, SunRisers lost an opportunity to move to the 3rd spot and they are holding on to the 4th spot in the 10-team table with 12 points from 11 games.

SENSATIONAL SHOW FROM SURYAKUMAR

SunRisers bowlers had their tail up in the powerplay after Marco Jansen, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Pat Cummins picked up a wicket each to leave MI reeling. Suryakumar played out a maiden wicket over from Cummins, who was getting the ball to move away like he was bowling in Perth with the red cherry for Australia. The Wankhede pitch was assisting the fast bowlers under the lights, but Suryakumar put the pressure right back on SRH with a sensational counter-attack.

While Suryakumar and Tilak made sure MI went past 50 in the powerplay by taking on Cummins in the 6th over, Marco Jansen faced the wrath of Suryakumar, who used his 360-degree range to collect 22 runs in the 7th over.

Despite losing 3 early wickets, Suryakumar made sure MI never felt the pressure of the run chase as he effortlessly kept collecting boundaries.

The World No. 1 T20I batter allayed fears of any injury concern, saying it was only a bit of tiredness that hindered his running between the wickets during the knock.

HARDIK SHINES WITH THE BALL

Earlier in the day, Hardik Pandya and Piyush Chawla snared 6 wickets between them to help the 5-time champions restrict a power-packed batting unit to under 180. Eyebrows were raised when MI won the toss and opted to bowl, but the home team bowlers backed their captain’s decision.

Piyush Chawla was the pick of the bowlers as he snapped a Travis Head knock that started to get dangerous and then got the big wicket of Heinrich Klaasen.

Pat Cummins swung his bat around in the end overs to make sure SunRisers posted a competitive total on the board. However, 174 did not prove anywhere near enough for the former champions, who are now under a bit of pressure after having lost 3 out of their last 4 matches.