Mumbai Indians are back in action and they might have just found the secret weapon they need to snag their sixth IPL title. The Tuesday match against Sunrisers Hyderabad was a pivotal one for the team, and it may not have been the easiest victory, but Rohit Sharma and his men did enough to take down their opponents by 14 runs.
As usual, winning the toss was a controversial affair, and the captain who called it right may have made the wrong decision. Despite this, Mumbai’s batters forged crucial partnerships throughout the innings, taking them to a total that was above par on the ground. Australian all-rounder Cameron Green was the star player, playing a pivotal role in forging four hugely significant alliances with Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, and Tim David.
Green had a slow start to his innings, but his six-foot six-inch frame allowed him to get on top of the Sunrisers’ bowling, propelling Mumbai close to what was a winning total. Hyderabad, who appeared to have found their rhythm with back-to-back wins over Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders, struggled to build partnerships after losing Harry Brook in the second over.
Mumbai’s fielders were on fire, with Aiden Markram producing two outstanding catches in the middle overs to get rid of Ishan Kishen and star batter Suryakumar Yadav. Catching is crucial in T20 cricket, and Markram’s excellent fielding demonstrated this.
Right through its innings, Mumbai’s batters found ways to forge crucial partnerships that would take it to a total that was above par on the ground that was tailor-made for batting.
Cameron Green (64 off 40 deliveries), coming in at the fall of skipper Rohit Sharma’s wicket, played a pivotal innings by forging four hugely significant alliances with Ishan Kishan (38 off 31), Tilak Varma (37 of 17) and Tim David (16 off 11).
Green signal
If Australian all-rounder Green appeared to be caught by stoplights early in his innings as he trotted to 28 runs off 24 deliveries, the acceleration he produced in the death overs almost single-handedly propelled Mumbai close to what was a winning total in the end.
Green used his six-foot six-inch frame to good advantage to get on top of the Sunrisers’ bowling which until his arrival had looked pretty competent.
Big let-downs
Hyderabad, who like Mumbai started the tournament with two losses appeared to have found its rhythm with convincing back-to-back wins over Punjab (8 wickets) and Kolkata Knight Riders (23 runs).
However, once it lost last-match centurion Harry Brook in the second over with just 17 runs on board, it seemed short of confidence and the batters lacked character.
And unlike Mumbai, it struggled to build partnerships thereafter with the best being 46 runs for the third wicket between Mayank Aggarwal (48 from 41) and Markram (22 from 17).
Hyderabad will be ruing the decision to give Mumbai the first strike on a wicket that they believed would be easier to bat on in the chase. The decision to bat or bowl first at the start of a match is without doubt one of the biggest decisions that a captain must make, and perhaps this is where Markram erred. In T20 cricket you have got to make the most of the chances that come your way and Markram, who has the best hands in the business, showed how it is done.
In conclusion, Mumbai Indians may have just found the launch pad they need to propel them towards another IPL title. Green’s performance was pivotal, and the team’s ability to build partnerships and capitalize on their chances allowed them to take the victory. Markram’s decision may have been the wrong one, but the game proved once again that in T20 cricket, anything can happen.
