IPL 2020 Highlights, SRH vs MI Match, Full Cricket Score: Sunrisers Hyderabad win by 10 wickets, book playoffs spot

MOTM Shahbaz Nadeem speaks after the match:

I’ve been in and out of the side for the last couple of years, so I think I’m at ease with coming in when called upon. It’s important that you give your 100% whenever you get your chance, and that’s what I did.

I’ve been working on a couple of deliveries for the last few years, and today I thought it was the right time to bring them out, especially the round-arm one. It doesn’t bounce that much. It depends on what part of the ball it lands on. When it lands on the seam, it turns a lot. Today I bowled it on the leather, and it skidded a bit. 

When you’re contributing to your team, it really gives you a boost. Our bowling order has done so well the last few matches, so I tried to do my best just to slot into it.

Sharjah is a very small ground but the pitches are turning a bit slower now, so as a spinner, if you bowl in the right areas, it’s a bit hard to hit.

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner speaks after the match:

It’s good now, especially considering we had that dreadful loss against KXIP. To restrict them to 150 in this venue is an incredible achievement. Excellent work from Nadeem and Sandeep, and after that we did well with the bat.

We have a lot of resilience in our squad, we always try to put our best foot forward and a lot of that is thanks to the franchise owners, they’re really good guys. We’re a family, we have a never-give-up attitude and that’s how we approach the game.

Tough decisions have been made in terms of team selection, and that all goes back to last year, when Kane missed out through injury and Jonny took his place and played excellently. That’s just what happens in franchise cricket. 

I think we looked back to 2016, we needed to win every game we had to win the title. When you’re against the wall, you have nothing to lose. I’m so proud of how everyone played, you saw that dropped catch from Rashid Khan and how much that meant to him.

I pride myself on getting the team off to a great start, that’s my duty at the top of the order. I just know that if I do well, we have a good platform. Fortunately, the last couple of games we’ve had to chase down small totals, so credit to the bowlers really.

RCB are a good team, we know that. Virat’s a good leader and they have a lot of dangerous players in the side. It’s a do-or-die game for both of us, and I’m excited for it.

10-wickets victory v MI in IPL:

Deccan Chargers, Mumbai, 2008
RR, Mumbai, 2011
SRH, Sharjah, 2020*

Rohit Sharma: “Not the day we want to remember. We wanted to try a few things, unfortunately it didn’t go in our way. Happy to be back, was going through tough time. Now looking forward to play a few games. It’s a funny format. It is always nice to forget what has happened and focus on the future. It will be a good challenge to play Delhi Capitals.”

Sunrisers Hyderabad win by 10 wickets to secure playoff spot!

Krunal Pandya to definitely, almost surely bowl the final over of the league stage of the IPL. Yep! David Warner seals qualification in some style, punching a slow length ball between cover and extra cover for four. It’s a wonderful sight, SRH have really rallied and put everything they had into their bid to reach the playoffs, and they manage to do it in the eleventh hour.

After 17 overs,Sunrisers Hyderabad 147/0 ( David Warner (C) 81 , Wriddhiman Saha (W) 58)

Nathan Coulter-Nile to bowl what is likely the final over of the league stage of the IPL. Single off the first ball. Dot on the second. Another single on the third. A boundary would end this. Good bouncer from Coulter-Nile on the fourth delivery, Warner tried to get a bit of bat on it but failed. One more single, I suppose we could be going into another over. Coulter-Nile’s done well to shift focus from himself onto whoever goes next. Dot ball to wrap it up. 3 runs needed from 18.

After 16 overs,Sunrisers Hyderabad 144/0 ( David Warner (C) 79 , Wriddhiman Saha (W) 57)

James Pattinson in now, what can he come up with. He’s looked quite ineffective so far, can he redeem himself? Nope, he’s hammered for four by David Warner over midwicket. Three more singles come from the over, and Sunrisers Hyderabad now need 6 runs from 24 balls.

FOUR! David Warner with another boundary, this one is pulled over midwicket! SRH 141/0

After 15 overs,Sunrisers Hyderabad 137/0 ( David Warner (C) 73 , Wriddhiman Saha (W) 56)

Coulter-Nile to bowl his third over, been a while since we last saw him. First four balls are gorgeous, aggressive deliveries, which yield just a single. The fifth is a bit slower, and it’s pulled away by Warner for four. Single on the last ball, 6 off the over. 13 runs from 30 balls needed.

David Warner has now scored 500-plus runs in six different IPL seasons – a record, going past Kohli (5).

FOUR! Pulled away for four by David Warner, right past midwicket. SRH 136/0

After 14 overs,Sunrisers Hyderabad 131/0 ( David Warner (C) 68 , Wriddhiman Saha (W) 55)

Can Warner and Saha close out this game themselves? That would be some way to win this match. At the moment, they look pretty comfortable, so it’s not inconceivable. Kulkarni’s back for his third over. 1, 1, 1, wide, 2, 1, 2. Warner and Saha are just going to run their way to this win.

Century stands for SRH against MI in IPL:

KL Rahul/David Warner, Dubai, 2014 (3rd wicket)
W Saha/David Warner, Sharjah, 2020 (Opening wicket)*

After 13 overs,Sunrisers Hyderabad 122/0 ( David Warner (C) 64 , Wriddhiman Saha (W) 51)

Krunal Pandya in for a third over, Rohit is persisting with him. Warner whacks the first delivery between long-on and deep midwicket and then sprints his lungs off to run a double. A single, dot and single follow, before Krunal gives away 5 wides. The keeper doesn’t read it, it’s down leg and it rolls away to the boundary line. A risky double and a single make it 12 runs off the over. Hyderabad need 28 runs from 42 balls, and we head into a timeout.

After 12 overs,Sunrisers Hyderabad 110/0 ( David Warner (C) 58 , Wriddhiman Saha (W) 50)

A landmark over for the partnership of David Warner and Wriddhiman Saha, as they both bring up half-centuries off of 35 and 34 balls respectively. They’ve been playing some excellent cricket, and thanks to their hard work, SRH look almost assured to qualify for the play-offs.

FOUR! Immaculately placed between deep midwicket and long-on by Warner for four! SRH 109/0

FIFTY! Wriddhiman Saha and David Warner have been locked in, so it’s only fitting that they score their fifties in the same over. Saha brings up his in 34 balls.

FIFTY! David Warner brings up his fifty in spectacular fashion, hitting a six with superb slog-sweep. Took him 35 balls.

After 11 overs,Sunrisers Hyderabad 97/0 ( David Warner (C) 46 , Wriddhiman Saha (W) 49)

Expensive first over from Krunal, can he get himself back in his captain’s good book with a much-needed wicket or two? First four deliveries are all singles, before he gets a dot. Saha then flicks it square for four on the final ball, Chahar almost caught that with his diving effort.

FOUR! Rahul Chahar almost, almost caught that, but in the end there was just enough on it from Wriddhiman Saha to get it to the boundary line. SRH 97/0

After 10 overs,Sunrisers Hyderabad 89/0 ( David Warner (C) 44 , Wriddhiman Saha (W) 43)

More spin as Chahar continues. It’s a good field from Rohit, he’s trying to think a couple of steps ahead of Warner and Saha, and it’s highlighted by this over. Every time Warner and Saha try to open up and find some space, they end up hitting straight to a fielder. Just five runs from the over.

After 9 overs,Sunrisers Hyderabad 84/0 ( David Warner (C) 41 , Wriddhiman Saha (W) 41)

First over for Krunal Pandya. He wasn’t really any good with the bat, can he make up for it with his bowling? Singles off the first couple of balls, before Saha ups the intensity again with back-to-back boundaries. He’s showing such incredible poise and composure here to keep SRH moving along nicely.

FOUR! Back-to-back boundaries again, Saha rolls his wrists and hits it smack dab between deep square and deep midwicket. SRH 81/0

FOUR!  Sliced over a leaping Saurabh Tiwary by Wriddhiman Saha! SRH 77/0

After 8 overs,Sunrisers Hyderabad 71/0 ( David Warner (C) 38 , Wriddhiman Saha (W) 31)

Pattinson now, and he’ll likely be a bit more careful this time around. Single, single, double, single, single, dot. Great running from Saha and Warner, their fitness levels are among the best in the game. This should be more than enough for them to win really, if they can keep the scoreboard ticking over with their singles.

500-plus fours in IPL:

Shikhar Dhawan
Virat Kohli
David Warner*

After 7 overs,Sunrisers Hyderabad 65/0 ( David Warner (C) 34 , Wriddhiman Saha (W) 29)

Chahar’s back, what’s he got in the locker? First couple of deliveries are singles before a lovely reverse sweep is sent away for four by David Warner. Excellent wrist-work from Warner. A well-run double and another single make it 9 runs off the over. The required run rate is now just over a run a ball, SRH are cruising.

FOUR! Reverse sweep from David Warner, that one’s gorgeous! No chance for short third man, that was hit with some power. SRH 62/0

After 6 overs,Sunrisers Hyderabad 56/0 ( David Warner (C) 26 , Wriddhiman Saha (W) 28)

Coulter-Nile will get to bowl the final over of the powerplay despite being hit or 11 runs in his first over. Saha brings up the 50-run mark in the partnership with a single off the first ball. The second delivery is a wide. Coulter-Nile bowls it again, this time it’s a dot. Warner looks really determined. He gets another boundary, he looked like he was making room to go for a big shot there, but he mistimes it a little and sends it past mid-on instead. A couple of dots and then a single, the powerplay ends with 56 runs scored. Time for a strategic timeout.

FOUR! Bit of a mishit from Warner, but he still gets enough on it to send it past mid-on! SRH 55/0

After 5 overs,Sunrisers Hyderabad 49/0 ( David Warner (C) 21 , Wriddhiman Saha (W) 27)

Rahul Chahar’s brought on by Rohit Sharma, he’s looking to put an end to this partnership soon. Doesn’t really work on the first ball, Saha hammers a boundary over midwicket. Saha then takes a single to get Warner on strike, he’ll be looking to get in a sweep or two. And he does just that, he gets on one knee and sends the ball racing past square leg! This is really good batting, they’re already about a third of the way to their target and we’ve only just begun.

FOUR! More boundaries for David Warner, this one to square leg! SRH 49/0

FOUR! Saha picks up where Warner left off, sending it over midwicket with ease! SRH 44/0

After 4 overs,Sunrisers Hyderabad 40/0 ( David Warner (C) 17 , Wriddhiman Saha (W) 22)

James Pattinson is in to bowl, and it’s Aussie vs Aussie as he faces David Warner. He’s not given a warm welcome by his compatriot though, Warner hits him for back-to-back-to-back fours, through midwicket, past extra cover and through point. Major problem for Mumbai Indians here, they really need to stop Saha and Warner soon.

FOUR! David Warner is absolutely on fire right now, this one’s hit through point! SRH 36/0

Four! Four more, this time it’s placed between cover and extra cover! SRH 32/0

FOUR! A third boundary in a row, this one goes to David Warner, who hammers that through midwicket! SRH 28/0

After 3 overs,Sunrisers Hyderabad 24/0 ( David Warner (C) 2 , Wriddhiman Saha (W) 21)

Kulkarni’s back, can he continue to be economic and starve Hyderabad of runs early on? His first delivery is a belter, Saha tried to whack that away but got only air as it whistled past the wickets. Kulkarni looks dangerous. Second one’s pushed away as well, and then Saha gets off strike with a dangerous single, it didn’t look like it was on, but he just about reached the non-striker’s end. Another single on the next ball. This is good work from Kulkarni. And just as I typed that, he’s been hit for back-to-back boundaries by Saha. Really clever batting from Saha, he knows he can’t go down the pitch because of the field, so he goes over short third man and fine of fine leg.

FOUR! Back-to-back boundaries for Saha yet again! SRH 24/0

FOUR! Wriddhiman Saha tries a bit of trickery, and it works in his favour, as he gets a boundary over short third man. SRH 20/0

After 2 overs,Sunrisers Hyderabad 14/0 ( David Warner (C) 1 , Wriddhiman Saha (W) 12)

Nathan Coulter-Nile to bowl the second over. The first couple of deliveries are excellent, giving Saha absolutely no room, they’re both dots. The third is a bit wider, and Saha casually lifts over mid-off for a six! The next ball is sent away for a boundary as well, this time at mid-on! First real signs of intent from Hyderabad here. 11 runs off the over.

FOUR! Back-to-back boundaries for Saha, he’s hit this the other side of the bowler! SRH 13/0

SIX! First real signs of intent from Hyderabad, Saha hits a check-drive over mid-off! SRH 9/0

Mumbai Indians’ economy rate of 6.95, average of 22.62 and SR of 19.54 in PP overs – the best among all the teams in PP overs this IPL so far.

After 1 overs,Sunrisers Hyderabad 3/0 ( David Warner (C) 1 , Wriddhiman Saha (W) 1)

Aaaaand we’re underway. It’s all on the line for David Warner and his Sunrisers Hyderabad side, and right now, they need him to come up with a captain’s innings. He opens with Saha, Dhawal Kulkarni to bowl. Kulkarni’s first delivery is a wide. The rest of the over is near perfect though, just a couple of singles from it.

The chasing teams have won each of the last five matches played at Sharjah in this IPL.

After 20 overs,Mumbai Indians 149/8 ( James Pattinson 4 , Dhawal Kulkarni 3)

It could’ve been a costly final over but Pollard gets dismissed in the third ball and it resulted in a 10-run final over. Decent score on the board as Mumbai end up with 149-8 after 20 overs. Despite the late show from Pollard, Sunrisers Hyderabad will be happy with that effort. They can chase down the total and book their spot in the playoffs.

BOWLED! 

Pollard misses a full-toss and stumps are shattered. Relief for Holder and SRH!

HUGE! Holder with a straight full toss, and Pollard flicks it over square leg for six. Brutal hitting!

After 19 overs,Mumbai Indians 139/7 ( Kieron Pollard 35 , James Pattinson 3)

Natarajan to Pattinson, and the Australian gives the strike back to Pollard. Natarajan comes up with his trademark yorker. The ball hits Pollard’s shoes and the umpire raises his finger. But replay shows the ball is pitching down the leg so not out. The next three balls are full-tosses and Pollard says thank you very much. Why do you want to bowl full-tosses to the most dangerous batsman of this format? Why? 20 off the over.

Three sixes! 

Full toss on offer again. Pollard goes straight this time and clears the boundary.

Another full-toss. Pollard smashes this one over deep mid-wicket!

Low full-toss from Natarajan, Pollard goes for the big hit. Manish Pandey at long off jumps but the ball bursts through his hands and goes over the rope.

After 18 overs,Mumbai Indians 119/7 ( Kieron Pollard 16 , James Pattinson 2)

Jason Holder is back and he starts off a perfect yorker to Coulter-Nile and then removes him as the batsman tries to cleat the fielder at mid-wicket but fails. James Pattinson is out in the middle and he’s welcomed by another spot on yorker from Holder. The next ball is short, Pattinson pulls takes a single. Holder to Pollard, wide and full, no timing on that shot so just a single. Final ball is a low full-toss and one run for Pattinson. Superb over from Holder, just three runs plus a wicket.

Kieran Pollard has a SR of 250.00 against Holder in T20 cricket. (45 runs, 18 balls, 1 dismissal)–

Coulter-Nile drives and hits it straight to the fielder at cover. Holder gets the wicket. Coulter-Nile c Priyam Garg b Holder 1(3)

After 17 overs,Mumbai Indians 116/6 ( Kieron Pollard 15 , Nathan Coulter-Nile 1)

Dot, six and a wicket from the first three balls. Sandeep Sharma delivers once again at a crucial time. Nathan Coulter-Nile is the new man in. There’s a LBW appeal against Pollard as he walks down the track and tries the flick. SRH take the review and replay shows the bat makes contact with the ball before hitting the pads. Dot to end the over. Just seven off it despite a six in the second ball. Well done, Sandeep!

BOWLED! 

Full and wide, Ishan gets an inside edge and the stumps are disturbed. Sandeep Sharma has his revenge for the six in the previous ball.  Ishan Kishan b Sandeep Sharma 33(30)

Ishan goes back and to his left, uses the depth of the crease and smashes the ball over Sandeep Sharma’s head for a six.

After 16 overs,Mumbai Indians 109/5 ( Ishan Kishan 27 , Kieron Pollard 15)

T Natarajan with the ball and he starts off with a yorker length delivery to Ishan for one run. Ishan is back again for the third ball and misses his hit. The fourth ball is wide, Ishan gets the bat to the ball and takes a single. Pollard then smashes two boundaries straight down the ground to release the pressure. That’s why he’s such a dangerous player in this format. He can change the match situation in a few minutes. 11 off the over.

Same delivery, same shot and same result. Pollard, wow!

Natarajan with the low full-toss, Pollard doesn’t move and smashes the ball straight for a boundary.

Rashid Khan economy rate in middle-overs (7-15) in this IPL:

Before today : 4.89
Today : 8.00

Rashid Khan’s spell of 1/32 is also the most expensive spell for him this IPL.

After 15 overs,Mumbai Indians 98/5 ( Ishan Kishan 25 , Kieron Pollard 6)

Rashid for his final over. Pollard takes a single off the first ball. There’s a catching chance in the next ball, bad shot from Ishan. The ball goes high, Rashid wants this one but it pops off his hands. To make it worse, Ishan gets a boundary in the fourth ball. Final ball coming up and there’s a huge LBW appeal against Pollard. The umpire is not interested, but SRH take the review. Impact is umpire’s call so Pollard survives. David Warner is not happy as he shares a few words with the umpire. Over up and timeout taken.

Ishan shows intent and gets the boundary against Rashid. Straight down the ground for a four.

After 14 overs,Mumbai Indians 90/5 ( Ishan Kishan 19 , Kieron Pollard 4)

Nadeem continues. Good, very good to over. Three dots against Pollard and then he concedes a single. He’s bowling with a slight round-arm action, taking the pace off the ball. Final ball of his spell and another single. Just three of it. Four overs, 19 runs plus two wickets. Excellent returns.

After 13 overs,Mumbai Indians 87/5 ( Ishan Kishan 18 , Kieron Pollard 2)

Rashid Khan gets inspired from Shahbaz Nadeem. It looked like this is not the day for the leg-spinner but then he comes up with a special delivery to take a wicket. In a matter of few balls, SRH gain the upper hand. Crucial partnership for Mumbai with Ishan and Kieron Pollard in the middle. Five off the over.

Wrong one from Rashid Khan, Saurabh Tiwary edges it and Saha grabs the catch. Lovely stuff from the keeper again. Saurabh Tiwary c W Saha b Rashid Khan 1(3)

After 12 overs,Mumbai Indians 82/4 ( Ishan Kishan 15 , Saurabh Tiwary 1)

So what if Rashid Khan can’t provide the breakthroughs? Shahbaz Nadeem can do it and he has done it. Credit to keeper Saha whose lightning fast hands does the trick to remove Suryakumar Yadav and then Kane Williamson’s lighting fast run helps in dismissing Krunal Pandya. Sensational over for SRH. Two big wickets.

Another one departs! 

Krunal Pandya gets a leading edge, Kane Williamson runs and pulls off a blinder near the pitch. Nadeem gets his second wicket in the over. Krunal Pandya c Williamson b Nadeem 0(3)

STUMPED!

Shahbaz Nadeem gets the breakthrough! Wide and the ball keeps low, Suryakumar misses his shot and Wriddhiman Saha does the rest. Suryakumar Yadav st W Saha b Nadeem 36(29

After 11 overs,Mumbai Indians 81/2 ( Suryakumar Yadav 36 , Ishan Kishan 15)

Natarajan is back. Two dots and two singles from the four balls. He needs to finish good here. Effective change of pace from the bowler. And he finishes good. Just three runs from the over.

After 10 overs,Mumbai Indians 78/2 ( Suryakumar Yadav 34 , Ishan Kishan 14)

Rashid Khan has been ineffective so far. Both these batsmen are not looking to play out his overs. They are taking the attack to the bowler. Two overs for 19 runs. If Rashid Khan goes for runs then SRH could be in trouble. The innings is nicely poised. Crucial second half coming up for SRH.

Ishan Kishan goes big this time. Straight down the ground for a maximum!

Lovely sweep from Suryakumar against Rashid Khan. Big stride forward and he finds the gap.

After 9 overs,Mumbai Indians 65/2 ( Suryakumar Yadav 28 , Ishan Kishan 8)

Shahbaz Nadeem bowls his second over. Quick single from Ishan off the first ball. Good stuff from the spinner, not offering any room and keeping it tight. Suryakumar goes inside out again, but no timing on that one so just one run. Ishan then goes for a hard hit, straight to the bowler who gets his hands to the ball for one run. Tough chance for the bowler, usually these stick but not this time. The physio is out taking a look at Shahbaz. Nothing too serious. Six singles off the over.

After 8 overs,Mumbai Indians 59/2 ( Suryakumar Yadav 25 , Ishan Kishan 5)

Rashid Khan for the first time today. Suryakumar goes inside out, hits it in the air and places the ball in the gap but the fielder cuts it off so two runs for the batsman. Suryakumar then comes up with his trademark sweep, again the fielder is present near the boundary so just one. Another sweep from Suryakumar and another single. Seven off the over. And we have a timeout.

After 7 overs,Mumbai Indians 52/2 ( Suryakumar Yadav 21 , Ishan Kishan 2)

T Natarajan into the attack. Suryakumar Yadav takes a single in the first ball. Ishan Kishan has already faced six balls and he’s yet to get off the mark. And he’s off with a single down the long-on. Chance for a caught and bowled but too far for Natarajan. Suryakumar Yadav hits it too straight and that’s what saves him. Good over for SRH. Mumbai cross the 50-run mark.

After 6 overs,Mumbai Indians 48/2 ( Suryakumar Yadav 19 , Ishan Kishan 0)

Shahbhaz Nadeem, the left-arm spinner goes for the nine runs in his first over. The runs could’ve been lesser if not for a bad piece of fielding. We are done with the powerplay and maybe it’s time Natarajan to take the ball.

Solid punch off the backfoot. The ball is in the gap and four more for Suryakumar. Nadeem is not happy.

Misfield from Abdul Samad. The ball went through his legs. Four for Suryakumar.

After 5 overs,Mumbai Indians 39/2 ( Suryakumar Yadav 10 , Ishan Kishan 0)

Just when it was looking like we will be treated to another Quinton de Kock power-hitting special, Sandeep Sharma sent him back to the dugout. A lovely four plus two gorgeous sixes and then de Kock disturbs his own stumps with a bad inside edge. Sandeep goes for 16 in the over but it worked out for him and SRH. Ishan Kishan is the new batsman.

And gone! 

Wide low full-toss, de Kock goes for the drive but gets an inside edge and the ball hits the stumps. Sandeep is a happy man. de Kock b Sandeep Sharma 25(13)

Make it two. 

Big step forward and de Kock smashes this one over deep mid-wicket.

First maximum of the night! 

Nothing off a ball from Sandeep. de Kock pulls it and the ball ends up outside the park.

Wide half-volley from Sandeep Sharma. de Kock makes room and hits the ball in the gap on the off-side.

After 4 overs,Mumbai Indians 23/1 ( Quinton de Kock (W) 9 , Suryakumar Yadav 10)

Holder starts off with a short ball, de Kock pulls it but there’s a fielder at deep square-leg. Suryakumar takes the strike in the next ball and scores a fine boundary on the leg-side. Good change of pace from Holder in the fourth delivery to beat the batsman. Suryakumar then hits the ball over cover, Warner chases and does well to pull the ball back. Two runs for the batsman. No run off the final ball.

Sandeep Sharma’s favourite opponents in the IPL:

7 – Virat Kohli 

4 – Chris Gayle 

4 – Rohit Sharma*

Down the leg from Holder. Suryakumar flicks and gets the boundary. Top shot!

After 3 overs,Mumbai Indians 16/1 ( Quinton de Kock (W) 8 , Suryakumar Yadav 4)

Sandeep Sharma continues. Two singles from the first two balls. Rohit was getting little bit impatient so he tries to break the shackles but instead becomes a victim of a soft dismissal. Suryakumar, the inform batsman comes in and gets off the mark with a boundary. Two dots to end the over. Good one from Sandeep.

Timing! 

Suryakumar Yadav is off the mark with a nice cover drive. The ball is in the air for sometime but safe.

Rohit Sharma departs! 

The skipper comes down the track but hands a simple catch to Warner at mid-off. Sandeep strikes in the powerplay again. Rohit c Warner b Sandeep Sharma 4(7)

Most wickets in PP overs this IPL:

Mumbai Indians : 24
Sunrisers Hyderabad : 22

After 2 overs,Mumbai Indians 10/0 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 3 , Quinton de Kock (W) 7)

Jason Holder into the attack. He starts off with a back of a length ball just outside off, Rohit punches off the backfoot towards cover for no run. After the single in the second ball, de Kock tries the scoop. Very poor execution on that one for no run. The next ball is pitched up, de Kock flicks it really good but Abdul Samad dives and saves the boundary. Two runs for the batsman. Holder goes wide for the fifth ball, de Kock cuts it and takes one run. Rohit Sharma goes hard in the final ball, over point but one drop to deep point fielder. Five off the over.

Rohit Sharma v Sandeep Sharma in IPL:

Runs – 35
Balls – 38
Dismissals – 3
SR – 92.11
Dots – 24

After 1 overs,Mumbai Indians 5/0 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 1 , Quinton de Kock (W) 4)

Sandeep to Rohit, the first ball is pitched up with a hint of swing. No run. Rohit is off the mark in the second ball, nice straight drive but just for a single. Sandeep to de Kock, outswinger as the batsman blocks the delivery. Another dot in the fourth ball. A boundary and a dot to end the over.

First boundary of the night. On the legs from Sandeep, de Kock flicks to the boundary.

SRH have a 7-8 win/loss record against MI in IPL. 

MI have beaten SRH in each of their last three matches played against them. 

If SRH wins this match then they will go through otherwise KKR will go through if MI wins

Quinton de Kock and Rohit Sharma are out in the middle. Rohit takes strike. Sandeep Sharma has the new ball. Let’s go!

Rohit Sharma at the toss:

“Throughout the tournament there has been a lot of talk about the toss, and we need to take toss out of contention and play good cricket. Looks like I’m fit and fine.”

Rohit Sharma at the toss:

“Throughout the tournament there has been a lot of talk about the toss, and we need to take toss out of contention and play good cricket. Looks like I’m fit and fine.”

Sunrisers Hyderabad  playing XI: David Warner (c), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Priyam Garg, Jason Holder, Abdul Samad, Rashid Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Sandeep Sharma, T Natarajan

Mumbai Indians playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Saurabh Tiwary, Ishan Kishan, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rahul Chahar, James Pattinson, Dhawal Kulkarni

One change for SRH

Priyam Garg replaces Abhishek Sharma. 

Three changes for MI

Rohit, Pattinson and Dhawal Kulkarni are in. Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult have been rested. Jayant Yadav is also out.

Toss update

Sunrisers Hyderabad win the toss and David Warner opts to bowl first

Rohit Sharma is back!

He’s fit to take the field today.

Will Rohit Sharma play tonight?

Star Sports shows Rohit doing a light warm-up. He’s out on the ground wearing the practice kit but we are not sure yet. It will be a big boost/surprise if he leads his side tonight. Let’s wait and watch.

David Warner takes inspiration from team’s 2016 title-winning campaign

“We knew we had to beat the top two teams in order to progress. We got one more to go against Mumbai. Losing Vijay (Shankar) is a big miss. For us we have worked out, how to go about at the top of the order.

“With the bowling, all the credit goes to them. We are finding the right balance and the right partnerships. To go for less than 20 in 4 overs, it’s ridiculous,” he said.

“We knew we had to win today, and that’s the case in the next game. In 2016 we had to win three games and we did that.”

IPL 2020: The humane genius of Ben Stokes

A few weeks ago, I reached my hometown with a heavy heart. My father had fallen seriously ill. It wasn’t the coronavirus, but just as daunting, because the doctors were stumped too. Given that he had been living on his own for years, my arrival was both timely and challenging. As we struggled to ease into the unfamiliarity of a caregiver-patient equation, my mind was a mess. The uncertainty was deafening. I’m a writer, so the headspace is precious. Words pay the bills. But I could barely watch a film, let alone analyze and review it. I struggled to form sentences. Anything other than his treatment felt like an unwelcome distraction.

Every other night, his groans scored the muted images of Ben Stokes on our television screen. Ben Stokes, the best all-rounder in the world. Ben Stokes, World Champion. Ben Stokes, Super Man. Ben Stokes, immortal. As fate would have it, my unscheduled return to my father coincided with the return of Stokes from his father. Stokes was just a stage ahead – or behind, depending on how one looks at it – in the life-cycle of perishing parents. While England celebrated Chris Woakes’ heroics in the Manchester Test against Pakistan in early August, Ben Stokes quietly dropped out of the squad. He reached his hometown, Christchurch, with a heavy heart. His father was seriously ill. He had been diagnosed with brain cancer earlier this year. Stokes went on an indefinite break from cricket. IPL 2020 felt distant. The Rajasthan Royals started the season not knowing when – or if – Stokes would play for them. A domestic T20 league during a global pandemic might not have been his top priority.

Click  here  to read Rahul Desai’s weekly column, in which he talks about the magic of Ben Stokes.

IPL on Pod: DC and RCB’s struggles, playoff scenarios, how the remaining league matches will go and more

Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals are second and third in the IPL 2020 league table and have resided in the top half of the table for almost the entire league duration but are still to seal the playoffs berth. They were expected to qualify for playoffs at least a week back but consecutive defeats, four for DC and three for RCB, means the winner between their match on Monday would reach the playoffs while the loser could miss out.

Kolkata Knight Riders are still in contention for the playoffs after beating Rajasthan Royals on Sunday, however, Sunrisers Hyderabad have a positive Net Run Rate, and they could qualify for the playoffs if they beat Mumbai Indians on Tuesday.

MI were the first team to qualify for the playoffs and are now also guaranteed a top spot in the league table. The defending champions have made winning a habit. And that habit is a result of a number of things that the franchise has done right to build a legacy for themselves. Their efforts behind creating a winning environment, building a core, spotting suitable talent, and backing top players have made them the most dominant IPL franchise.

If you’ve got time to kill,  listen to our IPL podcast  where we sum up all the previous week’s happenings and preview the coming week of action!

SRH expose chink in RCB’s batting as race to playoffs heats up

If there is one thing we realised on the final league-stage Saturday of this edition of the Indian Premier League, it’s that no team – barring Mumbai Indians – wants an easy qualification route.

In a season where Chennai Super Kings have never been in the knockouts’ race, you would think the other teams would pull up their socks. They haven’t, with all five teams still in contention for the remaining three spots as you read this. While it is an ode to Mumbai in how well oiled they are, the consistency among other teams in being inconsistent is worrying. In a league that is in its 13th season, you expect more than just two teams constantly making the knockouts. From a holistic IPL viewpoint, that is staggering.

Two teams are synonymous with this inconsistency – Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore. The former were quite brilliant in their early-season form, yet have managed to squander any gains whatsoever and are now on the cusp of exit thanks to faltering run-rate. Royal Challengers Bangalore are only marginally better in terms of NRR as they also blew their massive chance to join Mumbai early in the knockouts’ sanctity. Both these losses were marred by shoddy batting performances.

Click  here  to read more of Chetan Narula’s analysis of RCB’s defeat at the hands of SRH.

From unstoppable to unconvincing, Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bangalore stutter into playoffs

Last five matches (most recent first): W-L-L-L-L | L-L-L-L-W

These horror runs, particularly to close out a season, would typically put teams out of a tournament. Instead, they belong to two of the three entrants into the IPL 2020 playoffs: Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

In what was a scrappy affair for large parts, both DC and RCB squeezed their way through to the final week of the competition – the losing side meeting its own requirement to stay ahead of Kolkata Knight Riders on net run rate. A couple of weeks ago, you would’ve thought that this will be a crunch contest to ascertain who gets the all-important top-two finish – and it was – except the two competitors, in the course of these last two weeks, had gone spectacular to scratchy and from seemingly unstoppable to infuriatingly unconvincing.

Nine matches into the season, Delhi Capitals were the best bowling side, by a distance: They were the only team conceding less than eight runs per over, and were the most frequent wicket-takers in the competition too (strike rate 17.1). Their scoring rate, too, was second only to MI. At the same stage, RCB’s numbers weren’t league-leading, but theirs was a campaign standing out for the situations from which they were eking out results – inducing an SRH collapse of 32/8 in their opener, chasing down 35 in the last two overs against RR, winning a Super Over versus MI.

Click  here  to read more of Yash Jha’s analysis of how DC and RCB stumbled on their way to playoff qualification.

Decoding Delhi Capitals’ downward slump and how they can improve

There was a time in this edition of the IPL, not too long ago, when Delhi Capitals – along with Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore – had pulled away from the others in the race to the Playoffs. Now, as the league stage enters its last round, these three sides are still at the top. However, while Mumbai are guaranteed a top spot, Bangalore and Delhi have fallen behind; and given their ordinary net run rates, a defeat in the last match – when they play each other – may well spell doom for both.

This is particularly true for Delhi (-0.159), whose net run rate is behind not only that of Bangalore (-0.145), but also Sunrisers Hyderabad (+0.555) and Kings XI Punjab (-0.133), both of whom are two points behind them. In other words, they as good as have to win their last match.

So, what went wrong? Why did Delhi lose four matches on the trot after winning seven out of nine? Ajinkya Rahane played two of these matches: he got a golden duck in one and played a useful cameo in the other before being replaced by Prithvi Shaw – who did not do much either.

Click  here  to read more of Abhishek Mukherjee’s analysis of MI’s win over DC.

Resurgent Sunrisers Hyderabad aim to topple mighty Mumbai Indians, seal playoff berth

Riding high on momentum, Sunrisers Hyderabad will back themselves to topple the mighty Mumbai Indians and qualify for the IPL playoffs on Tuesday.

Thanks to their healthy run-rate, a win against Mumbai Indians should be enough to send SRH into the final-four.

After taking a tough call to leave out the dangerous Jonny Bairstow from the playing eleven, SRH have managed to find out the “right” balance. Wriddhiman Saha has made an instant impact as David Warner’s opening partner and the inclusion of Jason Holder has given them an all-round option.

Pacers Holder and Sandeep Sharma were extremely impressive, both upfront and at the death, in the last game Royal Challengers Bangalore. With left-arm pacer T Natarajan and trump card Rashid Khan also in the mix, they boast of a well-rounded bowling attack.

Click here to read more of the preview of tonight’s match.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the IPL!

It’s match 56 of the Indian Premier League tonight, the very final match of the league stage, and it will see Sunrisers Hyderabad face off against the Mumbai Indians. SRH have done very well to recover from a poor start to the campaign, and enter this match with their chances of qualifying for the playoffs still intact. Should they win tonight’s encounter, they would replace KKR in the third qualification place, thanks to their high net run rate, but a loss would mean the end of their season. Stay tuned as we bring you all the updates from this high-stakes encounter!