The defending champions won their second game in a row, and the fact that they did so without even bringing their A-game is definitely troubling for the other teams. Meanwhile, the Sunrisers have a lot on their plate, especially their ongoing middle-order problems. Kane Williamson’s absence isn’t helping matters. They must find a solution as quickly as possible.
SRH were bowled out for 137 runs in 19.4 overs thus chasing a 151-run mark. Captain David Warner and his opening partner Jonny Bairstow got his team off to a strong start in the chase. Warner hit 36 runs off 34 pitches, while Bairstow hit 43 off 22 deliveries. However, with the departure of their openers, SRH lost their stability, and the tide shifted in MI’s favour. Vijay Shankar (28 off 25 balls) was the other notable batsman, but he couldn’t help the team win, being caught in the 19th over.
Mumbai’s standout bowlers were Rahul Chahar and Trent Boult, who both took three wickets. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah and Krunal Pandya were both dismissed. Earlier, MI finished their innings with a total of 150 for five in 20 overs. Quinton de Kock and Rohit Sharma, the openers, scored 40 and 32 runs, respectively. Aside from the opening pair, Kieron Pollard provided a strong finish for his team with an unbeaten 35-run knock in 22 balls. For SRH, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Vijay Shankar each took two wickets, and Khaleel Ahmed was dismissed.
Kieron Pollard | Man of the Match: The game’s condition (dictates the batting order). We’re still needed to be padded up. It’s good to see that other guys are still delivering, so there’s not much anxiety. Those final runs were very beneficial to us.
Winning captain: Rohit Sharma- The bowling machine put in a strong effort. We were well aware that it would not be convenient. When you’re bowling well on the pitch, it’s not easy. On that pitch, I figured it was a good result. You could see both sides attempting to capitalize on the powerplay.
Having said that, I believe we will score more runs in the middle overs. Many of these guys have a lot of experience playing cricket on pitches like these. So there are some things to focus on. Simultaneously, I don’t want to be too hard on the guys. I believe the pitch is slowing down. Rahul was spinning the ball in his fourth over, which was probably the 12th or 13th. That does not occur in Mumbai.
David Warner : I’m not sure how to respond to that. Obviously, this is disappointing. Two of us were set, so it only goes to show that you can’t win if you don’t bat deep. That was my game plan, but Hardik did an excellent job of fielding. But that’s the nature of the game of cricket.
There are really chaseble milestones if you form a relationship even if there is just one individual at the top. The middle-order has to play smart cricket; the bowlers have been brilliant, and this wicket was slower than the previous ones we’ve played on. You have to learn from your mistakes, and it is the duty of the top order to bat hard.
