IPL 2019, Match 51: MI vs SRH – High-voltage drama at Wankhede
The IPL continued to produce exhilarating last-over thrillers as we witnessed the second Super Over of the season. Needing seven runs to win from the last ball, Manish Pandey smashed a six off Hardik Pandya to tie the game. The Super Over followed and Bumrah-Hardik clinched the much-needed victory for MI at their home ground. The triumph sealed Mumbai’s place in the top four.
Jasprit Bumrah – Man of the Match (Image: IPLT20)
Opting to bat first, MI lost their captain early but Quinton de Kock kicked on and anchored the innings. While other batsmen scraped for runs, the South African crossed the 50-run mark and steadied the innings. For SRH, Manish Pandey was once again the lead scorer and eventually salvaged the tie for the side. Following were the talking points from the match.
Hardik Pandya’s rare failure
The Mumbai all-rounder has been on fire this season. Walking out in the end overs, he has helped MI post tall totals from dicey situations. He has blunted the best bowlers this season. With a strike rate around 200, he is only behind Andre Russell in terms of impact in the death overs. However, yesterday against SRH, Hardik had an off day. He began spectacularly with a six on the 2nd ball and a four on the 4th ball. But failing to kick on, he holed out on the bowling Bhuvneshwar Kumar for 18(10).
Left is right
While the Indian team had its primary pace bowlers confirmed, they were still searching for the elusive left-arm bowler. They had hoped the 21-year old Rajasthani bowler, Khaleel Ahmed to come good but he did not provide the expected returns. Playing for SRH, Khaleel was not included in the first few matches. However, he has now cemented his place with a handful of wickets. He has taken 14 wickets in seven matches with four three-wicket hauls. Against MI, he dismissed Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Kieron Pollard to rock the batting side.
Run-machine Pandey
Manish Pandey (Image: IPLT20)
Manish Pandey began the IPL 2019 season disappointingly. He batted too slowly and broke the momentum that the team was building up. After being dropped for a few matches, he was brought back for a match against Chennai Super Kings. In the blazing return, Pandey scored a brisk 83 not out. He backed his knock with the scores of 61 and 36 in the next two games. Pandey continued his purple patch and struck a magnificent 71(47) yesterday versus MI. He smashed the six on the last ball which tied the game.
The Super Over
Hardik Pandya’s failure to defend 17 runs in the last over culminated in the match going into the Super Over. SRH’s hero Manish Pandey was run out on the first ball. Mohammad Nabi did strike a six on the third ball but he was bowled by Bumrah on the following ball. Hardik then smashed a six off Rashid Khan’s first ball to tilt the game in MI’s favour. Pollard pocketed the game with an easy two. The win secured MI’s berth in the playoffs while SRH will have to win their next match to end up in the top four.
