IPL 2025, MIvSRH: Will Jacks Stars In Mumbai Indians' Four-wicket Win Over Sunrisers Hyderabad
Mumbai Indians registered a second consecutive win to bring their campaign in the IPL back to life. The hosts defeated struggling Sunrisers Hyderabad by four wickets at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. English all-rounder Will Jacks compensated for leg-spinner Karn Sharma’s injury with 2/14 in his three overs and later scored brisk 36 in 26 balls on a tricky pitch to star in host's overall third win in seven games.
MI bowlers restricted Sunrisers Hyderabad to 162/5 after opting to bowl first. SRH batters struggled despite putting up an opening stand of 59 runs. Abhishek Sharma made 40 of 28 balls, but Travis Head made a scratchy 28 off 29 balls, as the partnership consumed 45 balls. SRH couldn’t hit a six until the 18th over when Heinrich Klaasen (37 in 28 balls) broke free with a couple of sixes off Deepak Chahar and two legside boundaries.
The hosts put on a show in batting with all top-order batters chipping in to wrap up the chase in 18.1 overs. SRH skipper Pat Cummins picked three wickets for 26 runs but lacked support from the other end.
After relatively quiet two overs in chase, Rohit Sharma (26 in 16 balls) gave Mumbai Indians impetus with two sixes off Shami that included a top edge flying over slips and a trademark pickup shot over square leg. He then repeated it to Cummins in the next over, this time gaining more flight. But three balls later played straight into the hands of Head.
Head dropped Jacks on 4 off Mohammed Shami but wicket-keeper batter Ryan Rickelton (31 in 23 balls) hit three consecutive boundaries off Eshan Malinga to bring MI’s fifty in 5.4 overs. The ball was changed on the last ball of powerplay after losing shape.
Rickelton struggled against leggie Zeeshan Ansari and almost succumbed on 21 but a dramatic no-ball decision ensured the wicket-keeper batter returned to crease from near dug-out as his South African counterpart Klaasen had gloves in front of the stumps. Rickelton later broke shackles with two consecutive boundaries but top-edged third to Head off Harshal Patel. To bring Suryakumar Yadav in for the second time.
Visitors' bowlers struggled to grip the ball cleanly as dew factor played a role in the chase. Mumbai hit four sixes in 13 balls between the ninth and eleventh over to bring down the required rate close to six and ease their task. Jacks and SKY were in control and brought up a fifty-run stand in quick time. By the time Surya (26 in 15 balls) fell to Cummins in the 13th over, the asking rate was below six. Cummins also removed Jacks, but Tilak Varma (21*) and Pandya (9-ball 21) took MI closer.
Earlier, MI were a bowler short with on-field injury to Karn, but Jacks proved to be an ideal foil. Jasprit Bumrah also got his mojo back, finishing with 1/21. He ended Klaasen’s innings with a perfect yorker. Only boundary an impressive Bumrah conceded was a top edge from Abhishek that flew over wicketkeeper Ryan Rickelton inside power plays.
Nitish Kumar Reddy chipped in with 19 for SRH and Aniket Verma scored breezy 18 in 8 balls including two sixes in the last over. The last three overs yielded 47 runs despite a tight penultimate over from Bumrah that cost just four runs. Hardik Pandya (1/42) conceded three sixes in the last over.
Mumbai Indians won the crucial toss and elected to bowl keeping the dew factor in mind. Chahar's first over was eventful as Abhishek charged the first ball to go inside out but managed a thick edge only to be dropped by Will Jacks at lone slip. Three balls later Head played uppishly to Karn Sharma at mid-wicket but fell just short.
Abhishek struggled with extra bounce; he was lucky to play short of Karn again in Chahar's second over. Karn was hurt also and left the field as hosts were a bowler short. Karn had taken three wickets in the last match.
MI had kept aggressive SRH openers silent with 29/0 in four overs. Southpaw Abhishek broke free with three consecutive off-side boundaries of Chahar in the fifth over. The over yielded 14 runs as visitors seemed to gain some momentum, but the power play score was sedate at 46/0.
Pandya introduced himself in the eighth over but after bowling three deliveries including a wide, he was limping. With Karn already off the field, Hardik despite an initial signal for substitute, changed his mind after on-field treatment to continue bowling and dismissed Abhishek first ball who played to deep point straight to substitute Raj Bawa who held onto a low catch despite initially misjudging it.
Former Mumbai Indians player Ishan Kishan (2) was stumped by Rickelton off Jacks as visitors struggled to get going. MI bowlers got their length right and left the pitch to do tricks.
There was some drama in the tenth over as Head was caught by Jacks at deep mid-wicket but the ball from Hardik was declared no-ball. A stuttering Head was again caught on a free-hit delivery as SRH reached 75/2 at the halfway mark. But Head couldn’t capitalise and holed out two overs later to Mitchell Santner at long-off as Jacks was on a roll, picking the second wicket of the night.
MI will stay at home to play the next game against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday.
news