Sunrisers Hyderabad eased to a 6-wicket win over Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday, chasing down 244 with 8 balls to spare thanks to commanding half-centuries from Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen.
MI’s imposing total was built around an unbeaten 123, with Will Jacks contributing 46 and Hardik Pandya adding 31. Eshan Malinga was the standout bowler for SRH, claiming four wickets. In reply, Head’s 76 and Klaasen’s 65*, along with a rapid late cameo from Salil Arora, carried the visitors comfortably past the target.
The result deepened MI’s miserable campaign, leaving the joint most-successful franchise in the tournament’s history stuck near the bottom of the table. Former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin opined
that the side from Mumbai, who have enjoyed a winning formula for a prolonged period, might need to rethink things.
“MI needs a thought process reset,” Ashwin said.
“They have a consistent method, fast bowlers up front swinging it, the same pattern of players, and they have a formula,” he continued.
“That formula might have to be rejigged as I feel the game has changed.”
“They are haemorrhaging runs. They have been struggling to limit batters to less than 10 runs in every over, including Bumrah’s,” the former spinner said.
Having chosen to bat first, Mumbai got off to a flying start through openers Will Jacks and Ryan Rickelton, who shared a 93-run stand. Jacks thrashed 46 off 22 before falling to Nitish Kumar Reddy. Suryakumar Yadav’s lean patch continued as he was dismissed for 5 by Eshan Malinga, while Rickelton anchored the innings. He reached a well-made fifty, with Naman Dhir adding 22 before Praful Hinge removed him. Hardik Pandya’s brisk 31 off 15 and Tilak Verma’s 7 off 5 maintained the scoring rate, but it was Rickelton’s unbeaten 123 off 55 that lifted MI to an imposing 243/5.
SRH’s reply began in blistering fashion through Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head, who pummelled a 129-run opening partnership. Allah Ghazanfar provided a double strike, dismissing Abhishek for 45 off 24 and sending Ishan Kishan back for a golden duck. Head then powered his way to 76 off 30 before Pandya removed him, but Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy rebuilt with another strong stand, Klaasen racing to a 22-ball fifty. Reddy was dismissed by Trent Boult for 21, yet Salil Arora’s unbeaten 30 off 10, combined with Klaasen’s 65* off 30, ensured SRH hunted down the target without any late drama.
