The Mumbai Indians sealed the playoff berth with a thumping win over the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final league game of this year’s Indian Premier League at Uppal, Hyderabad.
This was Mumbai’s 8th win of the tournament, and it propelled them second in the points table. They will now have two bites of the cherry to reach the final, which at one point looked unlikely.
The Mumbai Indians took the game into their clutches right from the start and made this high-pressure game looked easy by defeating the Sunrisers Hyderabad by 9 wickets.
Hyderabad never looked like in the contest and were rocked early when Shikhar Dhawan was removed by Lasith Malinga, and David Warner was dismissed by Mitchell McClenaghan in the very next over.
The Sunrisers failed to recover from these early jolts and lost wickets on regular intervals. They failed to construct even a single partnership and were bundled for a paltry 113 on a must-win game.
McClenaghan was the wrecker-in-chief with three wickets, while fellow speedster Malinga finished with a couple. Spinner tightened the screws in the middle-over, picking crucial wickets.
Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and left-arm spinner Jagadeesha Suchith not only maintained early pressure, but also picked wickets when mattered for the Mumbai Indians.
Chase was never going to be challenge for the visitors, seeing they only needed less than run-a-ball to seal the deal. And, they were off to a perfect start with Lendl Simmons and Parthiv Patel.
The opening wicket partnership took the game away from the Sunrisers Hyderabad, as the Mumbai Indians booked the playoff place in style.
