"Captain Can't Bat With Strike Rate Of 120": Ex-India Star On Hardik Pandya's Sluggish Knock
In response to SRH's 277/3, MI gave them a tough fight with their 246/5 in 20 overs, but the hosts prevailed on the night by 31 runs.
SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Mumbai Indians (MI) produced a run fest in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match on Wednesday, amassing a combined 523 runs at the Uppal Stadium in Hyderabad. SRH registered the biggest-ever IPL total with 277/3, surpassing the previous best of 263 by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in 2013. In reply, MI gave them a tough fight with their 246/5 in 20 overs, but SRH prevailed on the night by 31 runs.
Tilak Varma led the charge for MI in the massive chase, smashing 64 off just 34 balls after openers Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan gave the visitors a flying start.
Naman Dhir, who continues to fill the void left due to Suryakumar Yadav's injury, also played a fine cameo of 30 from 14 balls.
Down the order, Tim David smashed an unbeaten 42 off just 22 balls to push MI further closer in the chase.
However, SRH captain Pat Cummins bowled a brilliant spell to contain the flow of runs and took his team across the finishing line.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan, however, wasn't impressed with MI captain Hardik Pandya, who was the only batter to have a strike-rate below 150.
Hardik scored a sluggish 24 off 20 balls. Irfan criticised Hardik, suggesting that the captain can't bat like that when everyone else showed real intent in the big chase.
"If the whole team is playing with the strike of 200, Captain can't bat with the batting strike rate of 120," Irfan posted on X.
If the whole team is playing with the strike of 200, Captain can't bat with the batting strike rate of 120.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) March 27, 2024
Cummins was the best of the bowlers with 2-35 in his four overs of pace.
Earlier the left-handed Head, dropped on five by David off Pandya, reached his fifty in 18 balls and after his departure Abhishek reached his half-century off just 16.
The team's 100 came up in only seven overs and Hyderabad posted the tournament's highest ever total in the first 10 overs of 148-2.
Abhishek, a left-hand batsman, fell after his 23-ball blitz but there was no respite for the bowlers who were at the receiving end of some punishing batting.
Mumbai's South African import Kwena Maphaka had a bruising introduction to IPL when the 17-year-old left-arm quick went for 66 runs in his four overs.
(With AFP Inputs)
Mumbai Indians
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Hardik Pandya
Rohit Sharma
Irfan Pathan