Hyderabad, Apr 23 (UNI) Mumbai Indians produced a commanding all-round performance, led by pacer Trent Boult’s incisive spell and a blistering batting display, to outclass Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets in a one-sided IPL clash at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Wednesday.
Chasing a modest target of 144, Mumbai gunned down the total in just 15.4 overs, courtesy of a blistering partnership between Will Jacks and Rohit Sharma, followed by fireworks from Suryakumar Yadav.
Jacks, who looked in sublime touch, got MI off the blocks, hammering two boundaries and a six. He perished for 22, caught Abhinav Manohar off Zeeshan Ansari, but not before giving MI the early momentum.
Thereafter, it was the Rohit show. The India skipper, building on his recent form, struck a fluent 70 off 46 balls (8×4, 3×6). He reached his second successive half-century with a wristy flick off Pat Cummins and continued to toy with the bowlers.
A reverse-heave off Harshal Patel, a vintage pull off Jaydev Unadkat, and a majestic slog-sweep off Ansari typified the range of strokes on display.
Rohit eventually fell to Eshan Malinga, chipping a yorker-tailing delivery to Abhishek Sharma at mid-wicket, but by then the damage had been done. Suryakumar Yadav (40* off 19 balls) took over, unfurling his trademark flicks, sweeps, and reverse cuts in a scintillating cameo.
He clubbed Malinga for a towering six over square leg and later dealt Ansari a pair of boundaries – the last of which was shelled at deep mid-wicket by Nitish Reddy, who complained of losing it in the lights. The dropped catch brought the match to a close, with Mumbai wrapping up the chase clinically in 15.4 overs.
Earlier, Trent Boult (4-0-28-4) was the standout performer with the ball, dismantling SRH’s top and lower order after MI opted to bowl. His scalps included Travis Head (0), Abhishek Sharma (8), Abhinav Manohar (43), and SRH skipper Pat Cummins (1), the last two coming in a dramatic final over.
Heinrich Klaasen (71 off 44) was the lone resistance in SRH camp, counterattacking with flair and power. He reverse-swept Jasprit Bumrah for six and punished Hardik Pandya with audacious smashes, but his dismissal – caught at deep square by Tilak Varma – marked Bumrah’s 300th T20 scalp and SRH’s last genuine hope.
Deepak Chahar (4-0-12-2) was miserly, rattling the SRH top order early, while Mitchell Santner bowled economically. SRH never recovered from their poor start, and despite a 99-run stand between Klaasen and Abhinav, could only post 143/8.
Mumbai’s clinical performance, fuelled by top-order brilliance and Boult’s incisive spell, propelled them to third place on the points table, a remarkable turnaround after losing four of their first five matches this season and winning last four.
