Mumbai: Will Jacks delivered a standout all-round performance that propelled the Mumbai Indians (MI) to their third victory in the current Indian Premier League (IPL) season, as they triumphed over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by four wickets on Thursday at Wankhede Stadium. Chasing a target of 163 runs, MI successfully completed the task in 18.1 overs, with Jacks playing a pivotal role with both bat and ball.
During the chase, Jacks contributed significantly with 36 runs off 26 balls and earlier took two crucial wickets, dismissing Ishan Kishan and the formidable Travis Head in the first innings, which curtailed SRH's momentum.
The Mumbai openers approached their innings with aggression, as Ryan Rickelton and Rohit Sharma struck some stylish boundaries. However, Rohit was dismissed for a quick 26 by SRH captain Pat Cummins, leaving MI at 32/1 after 3.5 overs.
Jacks then partnered with Rickelton, and together they added 37 runs before Rickelton was out for 31, bowled by Harshal Patel. Suryakumar Yadav entered the fray and quickly made an impact, scoring 26 runs off 15 balls, including two sixes and two fours, before falling to Cummins.
Jacks soon followed suit, with Cummins claiming his third wicket, slightly shifting the momentum in favor of SRH. At 128/4 in 14.3 overs, the match remained finely poised.
MI captain Hardik Pandya made a brief yet significant contribution, hitting 21 runs off just 9 balls, which brought the required runs down to a single run per ball. However, he was dismissed with only one run needed for victory, falling to Eshan Malinga. Naman Dhir came in next but was out for a duck, also succumbing to Malinga.
Tilak Varma, remaining composed, finished unbeaten on 21, leading MI to victory without any further complications.
Pat Cummins led SRH's bowling attack with an impressive performance, taking 3 wickets for 26 runs in his four overs. Eshan Malinga contributed effectively with 2 wickets for 36 runs, while Harshal Patel added one wicket to the tally. Despite their efforts, the total of 162 was not enough to challenge MI's powerful batting lineup.
In the earlier stages of the match, MI won the toss and chose to field first. Abhishek Sharma scored 40 runs off 28 balls, hitting seven fours, and partnered with Head, who made 28 runs off 29 balls with three fours, to establish a 59-run partnership. However, the team struggled to maintain a high run rate, which is characteristic of their aggressive style, despite a notable contribution from Heinrich Klaasen, who scored 37 runs off 28 balls, including three fours and two sixes. SRH finished their innings at 162/5 after 20 overs, with Will Jacks (2/14) and Jasprit Bumrah (1/21) being the standout bowlers.
