MI vs SRH Review – Mumbai breathes a sigh of relief after Green, Madhwal’s heroics

Mumbai Indians (MI) edged past Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) with a resounding eight-wicket win in the penultimate match of the IPL 2023 group phase. Notably, the two teams crossed swords at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, May 21.

Rohit Sharma, skipper of Mumbai, made the right call during the toss and elected to field first. What followed was SRH’s opening duo of Vivrant Sharma and Mayank Agarwal unleashing carnage at the Wankhede as they swiftly hit the ground running.

While the bowlers hardly had any response, the pair continued to dominate the innings and combined to raise a 140-run partnership. While Vivrant scored a 47-ball 69 featuring two sixes and nine fours, Mayank cracked 83 off 46 balls. Following their dismissals, Mumbai gained some control of the contest with the breakthroughs as Akash Madhwal recorded a four-wicket haul. However, the orange outfit eventually posted a competitive total of 200 runs in their 20 overs.

In response, though Hyderabad got the early wicket of Ishan Kishan, things turned south as skipper Rohit Sharma and Cameron Green cracked the big runs to keep the side steady in the contest. In the first six overs (powerplay), the pair added 60 runs which kept Mumbai in the driver’s seat.

With hardly any respite, Green and Rohit continued to steer the side with the big runs and added 128 runs between them. Following his half-century, Rohit headed back to the dugout for a score of 56 off 37 balls which included eight fours and one six. Despite the breakthrough, the rival bowling unit was taken to the cleaners as Green stood out with his unbeaten 100 off 47 balls to steer MI to clinch the two points.

Top performers from the match

Mayank Agarwal: The right-hander carved out arguably his best knock in their campaign as he got 83 off 46 balls which featured four sixes and eight fours at a lethal strike rate of 180.43. His knock, coupled with the 140-run stand with Vivrant, helped SRH attain a humongous total.

Cameron Green: The star MI all-rounder was at his lethal best as he slammed an unbeaten 100 runs off 47 balls, featuring eight fours and as many maximums at a spectacular strike rate of 212.76. Courtesy of his blitzkrieg, Mumbai stamped their authority and chased down yet another 200-plus total.

What’s next for both teams?

Mumbai have climbed to fourth place but their playoff chances depend on RCB’s result. On the other hand, SRH concluded their season with a wooden spoon, eliminated from the playoffs.