 "IPL 2024: Abhishek Sharma's record-breaking fifty, Sunrisers scale new heights and more top moments from SRH-MI")
Mumbai Indians (MI) succumbed to a second consecutive defeat in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 edition after they went down to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Uppal on Wednesday.
MI would have regretted their decision to field first after winning the toss, as SRH were merciless with their batting approach. Fifties from Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen led SRH to a record-breaking total of 277/3, and in reply, MI fell short by 31 runs.
We now take a look at some top moments from the contest:
Rohit Sharma’s 200th game for MI
Ahead of their game against SRH, there was a small felicitation ceremony of sorts for Rohit Sharma, who was playing his 200th match for Mumbai Indians. Rohit, who has led MI to five IPL titles, was presented with a special MI jersey with the number 200 on the back of it, by batting icon Sachin Tendulkar. Rohit thus became the first-ever MI player to reach 200 matches.
A special moment to mark a landmark occasion 😃
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 27, 2024
Rohit Sharma is presented with a special commemorative jersey by none other than the legendary Sachin Tendulkar on the occasion of his 200th IPL Match for @mipaltan 👏👏#TATAIPL | #SRHvMI | @ImRo45 | @sachin_rt pic.twitter.com/iFEH8Puvr7
Rohit, however, failed to produce a game-changing knock with the bat, after he was dismissed for 26 despite a promising start that consisted of one four and three sixes.
Travis Head sets new record, and Abhishek Sharma breaks it
How often do you see two same records being broken in a single game of cricket? Well, that’s exactly what happened during SRH’s innings against MI. Travis Head, making his SRH debut, raced away to an 18-ball fifty. With that knock, Head set a new record of scoring the fastest fifty by an SRH batter, breaking the records of David Warner and Moises Henriques, who had taken 20 deliveries in different matches during different seasons.
Fastest 5️⃣0️⃣ by an SRH batter
— JioHotstar Reality (@HotstarReality) March 27, 2024
T̶r̶a̶v̶i̶s̶ H̶e̶a̶d̶ (̶1̶7̶ d̶e̶l̶i̶v̶e̶r̶i̶e̶s̶)̶
Abhishek Sharma (16 deliveries) 😎#SRHvMI #TATAIPL #IPLonJioCinema pic.twitter.com/4UDGOyQqGr
However, just minutes later, 23-year-old Abhishek Sharma would break Head’s record, bettering it by two balls. Abhishek got to his half century in just 16 deliveries, scoring two fours and six sixes.
SRH scale new heights
Not many would have thought that RCB’s total of 263 from over a decade ago would be broken, but T20 is a funny (And unpredictable) game. SRH scaled new heights on Wednesday after they posted 277/3 from 20 overs. The job was not done just yet even after the dismissals of Head and Abhishek. There was the in-form Heinrich Klaasen, who can be destructive if you don’t bowl proper lines and lengths.
The moment when @SunRisers created HISTORY!
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 27, 2024
Final over flourish ft. Heinrich Klaasen 🔥
Head to @JioCinema and @StarSportsIndia to watch the match LIVE#TATAIPL | #SRHvMI pic.twitter.com/QVERNlftkb
Klaasen followed the footsteps of Head and Abhishek and capitalised on the platform that the two had set. He took on Kwena Maphaka, Gerald Coetzee, Hardik Pandya and Shams Mulani, hitting each of them for boundaries and maximums regularly, and eventually got to his fifty in just 23 balls.
In the end, Klaasen had an able partner in Aiden Markram (42*) as the two saw off the SRH innings.
Quick start from MI batters
MI openers Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan knew that the visitors needed a quick and fiery start. And they did exactly that, with the two taking past MI’s 50-run total in just three overs. Kishan showcased aggressive intent in his 14-ball 34, hitting two fours and four sixes.
Rohit Sharma, too, hit Pat Cummins for a six in the fifth over, but soon after that, a mistimed pull proved costly as Abhishek in the deep completed the catch to see off the former MI skipper.
Tilak Varma fightback goes in vain
The middle overs in MI’s run chase was all about Tilak Varma. Tilak had forged 84 runs with Naman Dhir off just 37 deliveries, and had the two gone that one extra mile, things would have been different and MI would have stayed alive in the game.
Dhir showed promise in his 14-ball 30, hitting two fours and two sixes, but fell to the hands of Pat Cummins off Jaydev Unadkat’s ball in the 11th over.
On a day of quickfire fifties, even Tilak got to his half-century in good time (24 balls), but at the end of the day, MI failed to click as a unit once again and that’s where it cost them the game.
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