Mumbai Indians, the five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions, faced a do-or-die match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 6 in Mumbai. The match was crucial for Mumbai, as a loss would have eliminated them from the playoffs race.
Mumbai won the toss and elected to field first. They handed a debut to 23-year-old all-rounder Anshul Kamboj, who replaced pacer Gerald Coetzee. Sunrisers, on the other hand, brought back Mayank Agarwal as their number three batter.
Mumbai’s bowling attack was led by Jasprit Bumrah and Nuwan Thushara, who picked up two wickets each. However, Sunrisers’ batters put up a strong performance, with Abhishek Sharma scoring 43 runs and Heinrich Klaasen contributing 35 runs. Sunrisers eventually posted a competitive total of 193/6 in their 20 overs.
In response, Mumbai’s batting lineup struggled to get going. Ishan Kishan was dismissed for a duck, while Rohit Sharma and Naman Dhir managed only 16 and 14 runs, respectively. Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma provided some resistance with scores of 36 and 28, but it wasn’t enough to chase down the target.
Mumbai’s hopes were pinned on Tim David, who had been in excellent form throughout the tournament. However, he was dismissed for just 13 runs, leaving Mumbai in a precarious position. Hardik Pandya and Anshul Kamboj tried to salvage the innings, but they were unable to prevent Mumbai from falling to a 36-run defeat.
The loss was a major setback for Mumbai, who are now in danger of missing out on the playoffs. Sunrisers, on the other hand, kept their playoff hopes alive with the victory.
