After 56 gruelling games of the league stages of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, fans finally have the four contenders for the title, who will face-off in the Playoffs.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), in a do-or-die situation, confirmed their berth by comprehensively beating table-toppers Mumbai Indians (MI).
David Warner’s men leapfrogged onto the third place in the points table, with a thumping 10-wicket win. Earlier, the SRH skipper won the toss and opted to field first.
The ‘Orange Army’s’ bowling unit did remarkably well to restrict MI to a score of 149/8 in their 20 overs.
Sandeep Sharma (3/34) starred with the ball up front by picking three prized wickets to keep MI onto the backfoot.
Between overs 11-12, MI lost three quick wickets in a space of seven deliveries. Shahbaaz Nadeem (2/19) and Rashid Khan (1/32) laid the spin trap brilliantly in front of MI. Jason Holder (2/25) enjoyed the spoils with a couple of wickets at the death.
Had it not been for the cameo from Kieron Pollard, MI would not have reached the 130-run mark. The powerful West Indies batsman smashed 41 off just 25 deliveries, with the help of two boundaries and four maximums.
Chasing a target of 150, Warner along with Wriddhiman Saha stitched a mammoth partnership to take their side across the finishing line.
Warner led by example and hit the winning runs during his knock of 85, which came off just 58 deliveries. The dynamic left-hander hit ten boundaries and a maximum in the process.
Saha went on to show that his heroics in the last game wasn’t a fluke. The wicketkeeper-batsman made 58 in just 45 deliveries, which comprised of seven fours and one six.
SRH went on to display a dramatic turnaround in their campaign, especially after the game against Kings XI Punjab. They won four out of their last five games to seal the third place in the playoffs.
SRH now face Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the first eliminator of IPL Playoffs.
Brief Scores:
Sunrisers Hyderabad – 151/0 in 17.1 overs (Warner 85*, Saha 58*) beat Mumbai Indians – 149/8 in 20 overs (Pollard 41, Nadeem 3/34) by 10 wickets
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