'They came out with clear intent' - Piyush Chawla lauds SRH for comprehensive run chase against Mumbai Indians

Veteran leg-spin bowler Piyush Chawla has showered massive praises on Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) batting unit following their comfortable run chase of a daunting total against Mumbai Indians (MI) in Match No. 41 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday, April 29.

Chawla said that the SRH batters walked out to the middle with a clear thought process of chasing down the target, as they won by eight balls and six wickets to spare in pursuit of 244 on a batting-friendly

track in Mumbai. The former MI bowler also shed light on how scoring quick runs allowed the visiting side to keep the required run-rate in check throughout the second innings.

"You have to give full credit to the batters. We know that teams like Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad are capable of chasing such totals, and they showed that again. They came out with clear intent in the Powerplay and, importantly, didn’t lose a wicket," the cricketer-cum-commentator said via JioStar.

"They even put pressure on Jasprit Bumrah early, taking nearly 30 runs off his first two overs. After that, the rest of the batters contributed well. At no stage did the required rate get out of control. In fact, it stayed below the asking rate for most of the innings. That was the real beauty of this chase,” Chawla added.

While the run chase was positive, the main orchestrator with the bat was Travis Head, who bludgeoned the Mumbai attack, smashing a blitzkrieg of 76 from a mere 30-ball stay at the crease. This knock included four boundaries and eight skyrocketing sixes. Chawla lauded Head and also said that he was fortunate to survive a close call, where no one appealed for him.

“Sometimes you need a bit of luck when you’re not among the runs, and that’s exactly what happened with him. There was a faint edge that didn’t result in an appeal. Moments like these can change an innings. I’ve noticed that whenever he plays against India or against Mumbai Indians, he seems to bat with a different level of confidence,” he said.

SRH are currently third on the points table with 12 points after nine matches. The return of Pat Cummins as skipper has seen them win both the matches. For their next, the Hyderabad-based side will be up against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday, May 03, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, in a home affair.