Sunrisers Hyderabad kept their modest IPL playoff chances alive with a three-run victory against Mumbai Indians. Rahul Tripathi batted like a man on a mission before Umran Malik wowed with his speed.
Sunrisers Hyderabad reached a daunting 193 for six thanks to Tripathi’s 76 off 44 balls. Priyam Garg (42) and Nicholas Pooran (43) provided excellent support (38).
Despite the best efforts of Rohit Sharma (48), Ishan Kishan (43) and Tim David, Malik (3/23 in three overs) delivered a fantastic performance.
At the same time, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/26 off 4) struck a wicket maiden in the vital 19th over to end MI at 190 for seven (46).
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On paper, the win maintains SRH in the playoff race, as they move up to 12 points. They need to win their last game and hope for favourable outcomes elsewhere.
Rohit looked at ease while chasing 194 and seemed to be on his way to a huge score. He got Mumbai’s chase off to a good start with Kishan, with whom he shared a 95-run opening partnership.
The two scored 17 runs in Malik’s ninth over, including two no-balls and a wide.
But Kane Williamson’s choice to bowl Washington Sundar (1/36) two overs later paid off when Rohit holed out in the deep to Jagadeesha Suchith.
In the following over, Kishan, who looked uneasy facing Malik’s short balls, followed his captain as the Jammu pacer, who had a poor first over, redeemed himself. Priyam Garg completed a stunning catch at mid-on as he speared the ball at the stumps from around the wicket.
The pair struck again when Malik bowled another bouncer, forcing Daniel Sams to pull. Garg completed a stunning catch at midwicket by leaping high above his head with his arms fully extended.
With 44 required off 18, Mumbai’s big-hitting David smashed 46 off 18 balls to keep Mumbai’s hopes of a fourth victory this season alive.
T Natarajan bowled the 18th over, and David smashed four sixes, including a monster 114m shot, to reduce the equation to 19 from 12. However, Natarajan (0/60) was able to redeem himself when David was run out on the last ball.
In the 19th over, Bhuvneshwar Kumar produced a wicket maiden to put the game back in SRH’s favour.
Tripathi had set himself up well for a spectacular knock with his third half-century of the season, which included nine fours and three sixes.
When the Sunrisers were allowed to bat, they put Garg at the top of the order. After the in-form Abhishek Sharma (9) was sent back in the third over, the 21-year-old produced a superb knock and shared a 78-run partnership with Tripathi.
In his 26-ball innings, Garg, who was dropped on 10, made full most of his reprieve, smashing the ball four times to the fence and twice over it.
Tripathi, on the other hand, seemed to be in his element. He smashed Jasprit Bumrah (1/32) for a six and back-to-back fours in the fifth over.
While batting sensibly, Tripathi and Garg gathered 57 runs in a solid powerplay and maintained a respectable run rate of close to 10 runs per over.
Pooran, promoted to No. 3, joined the party when Garg was caught and bowled by medium bowler Ramandeep Singh (3/20).
In the 13th over, the flashy left-hander smashed two sixes over long-on and deep backward square off Riley Meredith (1/44) before whacking Mayank Markande (0/31) for a boundary and a maximum.
In eight deliveries, the MI bowlers, headed by Randeep, launched a modest recovery, dismissing Pooran, Tripathi, and Aiden Markram (2).
Kane Williamson’s (8 not out) problems in the lower order continued as he could not get the big strokes going.
The Sunrisers, who seemed to be on track for a 200-plus total, could only manage one boundary in the last two overs, yielding 19 runs.
