With Chennai witnessing back-to-back dry matches, MI vs SRH would be the fifth match. The pitch, being a bowler’s bliss, was expected to be a low-scorer like the others. However, MI becomes the first team to elect to bat this season. Warner-led SRH and Sharma-led MI go head-to-head, with MI taking the win home. SRH, already underconfident from the previous match, made sudden and unexpected changes in their order. MI took all possible advantage of that and took the top-order wickets to build pressure on SRH and later win the match by 13 runs.
The match opens with Rohit and de Kock batting, auctioning a straight drive four by de Kock to Bhuvneshwar. The first over marks a pretty dynamic entry into the game, with 2 boundaries and one appeal, for which SRH didn’t take the review. Mumbai witnesses its first six in the 3rd over, Rohit Sharma sweeping in deep mid-wicket. Both de Kock and Rohit keep hitting and, Rohit gets his 4000 IPL runs. The over powerplay ends with the 6th overseeing singles and doubles with the 50-run partnership for Rohit and de Kock.
Quite soon, Rohit flies a catch in the air at deep mid-wicket for Virat Singh. Vijay Shankar takes the much-needed wicket for SRH at 55/1. Surya Kumar Yadav replaces and begins his game with a 4 running towards long-off, benefitting from a misfield. De Kock sweeps a boundary to Rashid flamboyantly past the short fine leg to the boundary.
Spirit prevailed till Shankar bowls one on the mid, taking SKY’s catch with ease. 71/2, 8.3 overs. Ishan Kishan joins de Kock on the field. The next 3-4 overs observe barely one boundary. In the 14th over, Suchith takes de Kock long-on. The want for fence costs de Kock his wicket. Mujeeb gets one in his pocket, giving 40 runs to the team, leaving MI at 98 for a loss of 3. Pollard replaces de Kock. The rest of the 15th over drags with blocking and getting singles but getting the team 100.
However, Pollard smashes a 105 m long maximum right in the long-on. Soon followed, Bairstow takes a catch in his gloves. Kishan goes into the dressing room, giving only 12 runs in the 20 balls he played. 114/4 with Bhuvneshwar taking his first wicket. Hardik Pandya takes the strike. In the 19th over, V Shankar drops Pollard but right after, Virat Singh takes Hardik at the covers. 132/5, and Krunal Pandya takes the strike. Slot balls at death repeatedly give Pollard 2 sixes to end the game, changing the game and bringing the 150 MI wanted to set up a good standard score.
The first innings give MI a total of 150, ending at a loss of 5. With not many appreciably huge individual scores, Mumbai moves forwards to bowl.
Another low-score thrill chase begins with Bairstow and Warner opening the innings for SRH. Boult swings the first ball into the stumps. With opportunities of catching Bairstow off-guard, Sharma takes the review but, the DRS said otherwise. With Bairstow on the ground, SRH looks at 50 in the 5th over itself. A hilarious moment in the game was the dive wanted by Boult in the 5th over on Warner’s four.
Bairstow bats with no bars, and for a while, it seemed like SRH was the only one in the game. Bumrah bowls at a slow pace to oust Bairstow and almost thought he was to go but alas! No fielder reaches till the land the ball was to fall on.
The powerplay ends with 57 runs with no loss.
Bairstow’s wicket was much desired, and it was at his own cost that he gave it to MI. Hit Wicket, the first one the league spectates this season. He tried for a sweep at fine leg but, dumps his foot into the stumps. Manish Pandey replaces the hard hitter, but woes goodbye in the next over itself. Rahul Chahar gets him and, Pollard catches it at long-off. The last match saw Pandey’s dismissal in the same way. With barely any addition to the 67 when Bairstow left, Manish Pandey goes back to the dressing room.
Virat Singh, the debutant, enters and takes the strike. Warner, the captain, tries to cover up for the pressure by Bairstow’s wicket with a six, but MI keeps looking for run-outs while Warner and Virat exchange quick singles. Finally, Hardik Pandya hits directly at the wicket from a distance of 15 m. Disappointed, Warner leaves the field with 90 on the team’s board.
Vijay Shankar, the two-wicket holder, joins Singh on the field. With not much progress but a 100 for SRH, R Chahar takes Virat Singh. SKY limits his ball from reaching skies and takes the catch at long-off. Abhishek Sharma enters and tries to hit a few for the team but gives the catch to Adam Milne at deep square leg right on his second shot. Chahar gets his 3 wicket haul with Abhishek’s dismissal.
Vijay tries to cover up in spinner Krunal’s over with 2 sixes at deep mid-wicket but the entire team signs off in a line. Samad on another of Hardik’s direct hit, Rashid LBW on Boult’s yorker, Shankar on Bumrah’s delivery, and Surya Kumar’s catch, with Bhuvneshwar and Khaleel, clean bowled by Boult. The last 2 overs onlook SRH’s bowlers, trying to defend the ball at the least.
Kieron Pollard, the man who ended his team’s innings with 2 maximums, is awarded player of the match. Chepauk eyes another sluggish game with more dots, singles, and doubles than the electric shower of sixes and fours with MI steering towards victory.
