Rohit Sharma got back to his best in style, making an elegant 70 off 46 balls, as Mumbai Indians (MI) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by seven wickets in Match 41 of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Tuesday.
The five-time title winners continued their good run, earning their fourth consecutive victory of the season, which placed them at third on the points table. SRH's miseries continued with yet another loss.
Chasing a modest score of 144, Rohit played calmly and in charge. After an early setback with Ryan Rickelton's fall to Jaydev Unadkat, Rohit and Will Jacks launched a counterattack, scoring 17 runs from Pat Cummins in the third over, including two massive sixes.
Rohit also left his name in the history books of MI, shattering Kieron Pollard's 258 sixes team record for the team when his 259th six came from a usual lofted long-off shot.
In complete charge, Rohit dominated the pitch with excellent strokes like paddle-sweeps, flicks, and cuts. He scored his half-century from just 35 balls. Rohit and Jacks laid good groundwork with their stand before Jacks got out for 22. Rohit continued dominating in a string of boundaries before he was stumped by Eshan Malinga in the 15th over while attempting to force a yorker.
Suryakumar Yadav, though, ensured there were no more hiccups, finishing the chase with a firebrand 40 not out from just 19 balls. His innings was a beautiful mix of innovative shots and powerful hitting, which saw MI emerge victorious in 15.4 overs.
Earlier, MI’s opening bowlers, Trent Boult (4-26) and Deepak Chahar (2-12), dismantled SRH’s top order. Boult took two early wickets during the powerplay and later cleaned up the tail, while Chahar’s early breakthroughs set the tone. SRH found themselves reeling at 35 for 5 inside nine overs, as the pitch provided significant grip and variable bounce.
Thanks to a gritty 71 off 44 balls by Heinrich Klaasen and his 99-run partnership with Impact Player Abhinav Manohar (43 off 37), SRH was able to put together a score of 143/8. Klaasen's reverse-scooped six off Jasprit Bumrah and some classy strokeplay gave SRH a late pick-up, but the score remained well below par on a surface that eased up with the match's progress.
MI bowlers remained true to their strategies, utilizing the pitch slowness to the fullest. The most peculiar incident was perhaps during the last over when Manohar knocked his own stumps over while attempting to save a Boult yorker. Boult's 4-26 effort went a long way in restraining SRH and drew great appreciation for his match awareness and control.
Brief scores:
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 143/8 in 20 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 71, Abhinav Manohar 43; Trent Boult 4-26, Deepak Chahar 2-12)
Mumbai Indians: 146/3 in 15.4 overs (Rohit Sharma 70, Suryakumar Yadav 40 not out; Jaydev Unadkat 1-25, Zeeshan Ansari 1-36) – MI won by 7 wickets.
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