A year ago, Sunrisers Hyderabad registered what was then the highest-ever total in the IPL (277 for 3) against Mumbai Indians at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here. Little over a year later, in a rematch at the same venue, the visitor came out on top, chasing the modest 144-run target with seven wickets and 26 balls to spare.
Put in to bat first, Travis Head was dismissed for a four-ball duck. His fellow lefties in the top-order, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan, fell soon after, and Sunrisers ended the PowerPlay with the lowest score (24 for four) by any team this season.
Heinrich Klaasen then went about saving Sunrisers’ blushes, beginning by dispatching Vignesh Puthur into the second tier beyond deep mid-wicket. He painstakingly got the score past the 50-run mark and took the attack to Pandya, smacking three boundaries and giving the home fans a reason to cheer.
Klaasen stitched a 99-run stand with Abhinav Manohar, bringing up his first half-century of the season along the way. By the time the pair fell, SRH had tottered to a moderate total.
AS IT HAPPENED: SRH vs MI HIGHLIGHTS
MI took an early blow in its chase when Ricketon got a leading edge, and Jaydev Unadkat, with momentum taking him in the opposite direction, stuck his left hand and took an excellent catch.
Rohit Sharma, however, ensured the visitor remained in control. His early maximum over deep extra cover off Unadkat underlined his comfort in what was once his home venue in the IPL.
Rohit continued where he left off against Chennai Super Kings, registering his second half-century in as many matches, the first time he has done so since 2016. With Net Run Rate (NRR) seemingly on his mind, he switched gears, highlighted by three fours off Harshal Patel in the 14th over.
When he finally fell after chipping a yorker from Eshan Malinga to Abhishek Sharma at midwicket, the win was all but sealed, with Suryakumar Yadav tying it up neatly with a boundary over deep square leg.
MI’s triumph takes it to third on the table while Sunrisers languishes at the other end in ninth — just above rock-bottom Super Kings by virtue of NRR.