Match Recap

In a low-scoring yet fiercely contested match played on Tuesday evening, the Sunrisers Hyderabad eked two points out of defending champions Mumbai Indians after they successfully defended 118 – the lowest total defended in IPL matches at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. After being bundled for a low total themselves, SRH were charged in the field, held all their chances and dismissed the hosts for 87, to win by 31 runs.

The Mumbai Indians had themselves to blame for their dismal showing, for several of their batsmen were dismissed playing shots they will not want to see themselves. Opener Suryakumar Yadav held his end and played a patient inning, but he kept losing partners at the other end. MI slipped to 21-3 in the first six overs, before Yadav and Krunal Pandya stitched together a 40-run partnership to keep the visitors at bay. But once Rashid Khan trapped Krunal LBW in the twelfth over, the wheels came off the run-chase as the hosts then lost the rest of the line-up for 26 runs. Yadav’s 34, made from 38 balls, would be the top-score of the match.

Earlier in the evening, SRH, who had made four changes to the team that played against Chennai Super Kings, lost the returning Shikhar Dhawan and WriddhimanSaha to single-digit scores in the second over. Captain Kane Williamson and Manish Pandey briefly resurrected the innings with a 24-run stand – which would be the biggest partnership of the innings – before the latter was dismissed in the fifth over.

Williamson made 29 from 21 balls, before he would be the fifth batsman to be dismissed, inside edging Hardik Pandya to the wicket-keeper. Yusuf Pathan then contributed 29, made from 33 balls, and helped his team to a respectable total, before he was last man out – dismissed with 8 balls remaining in the innings.

Standout bowling performance

Though all the six bowlers used by Sunrisers Hyderabad were among the wickets, the three bowlers who impressed most were Sandeep Sharma, Siddarth Kaul and Rashid Khan. Sandeep, returning to the SRH as a replacement for Bhuvneshwar Kumar, bowled three overs within the first six, yet returned sensational figures of 3-0-9-1 – the wicket being that of Evin Lewis.

Kaul conceded three boundaries to Krunal Pandya in his second over, but came back strongly to dismiss Mitchell McClenaghan and Mayank Markande in his third over. In his final over, he landed the final nail in the coffin when he had Hardik Pandya – the last of MI’s recognised batsmen - caught at deep third-man. Kaul finished with figures of 3-23, his spell containing 14 dot balls.

Rashid Khan’s returns after his first three overs read 2-11. It remained that way after his fourth over too, for he bowled six dot balls – a priceless maiden over – when given the task of bowling the 17^th over of the innings, despite having to bowl to a dangerous batsman like Hardik Pandya.

Earlier in the evening, it was a combined effort by the MI bowlers to dismiss SRH. McClenagahan struck twice in his first over, dismissing Dhawan and Saha to reduce SRH to 20-2; the Kiwi left-arm pacer finished with figures of 3-0-22-2. Hardik Pandya struck two telling blows – first dismissing Manish Pandey, who had struck three crisp boundaries by then, and thereafter accounting for the fluent Williamson, who inside-edged a delivery to be caught behind; Hardik finished with figures of 3-0-20-2.

Mayank Markande chipped in with two lower middle-order wickets, while JaspritBumrah and Mustafizur Rahman chipped in with a wicket each.

Stat of the Match

Sunrisers Hyderabad lost 4 wickets in the powerplay overs – that’s the most wickets any team had lost in the Powerplay overs in VIVO IPL 2018.

Mumbai Indians’ 22-3 in the first six overs would be the lowest powerplay score in VIVO IPL 2018.

The 118 defended by Sunrisers Hyderabad would be the second-lowest total successfully defended in the IPL.

Brief Scores:

Sunrisers Hyderabad 118 in 18.4 Overs (Kane Williamson 29, Yusuf Pathan 29, Mayank Markande 2-15, Hardik Pandya 2-20, Mitchell McClenaghan 2-22) beat Mumbai Indians 87 in 18.5 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 34, Krunal Pandya 24, Rashid Khan 2-11, Siddarth Kaul 3-23) by 31 runs.

Man of the Match:

Rashid Khan, for his spell of 4-1-11-2.