(UTV | COLOMBO) – Mumbai Indians eked out a 13-run Indian Premier League win over Sunrisers Hyderabad, who lost their way after Jonny Bairstow’s sparkling 43.
Bairstow had Sunrisers on track to chase 151, but after he trod on his stumps, they fell from 72-0 to 104-5.
Sunrisers needed 16 from the final over with two wickets in hand, Trent Boult seeing them bowled out for 137.
Defending champions Mumbai were lifted to 150-5 by Kieron Pollard, who hit the final two balls of the innings for six.
Mumbai, the five-time winners, have now recorded back-to-back victories after their opening-day defeat by Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Sunrisers are the only team in the tournament without a win, having lost all three of their games to date.
Bairstow’s sublime knock seemed likely to alter that record, particularly when he took 18 from four Boult deliveries.
The England batsman pounced on anything short and played some stunning lofted drives, but somehow kicked over his stumps when going back to Krunal Pandya.
It was the catalyst for Krunal and fellow spinner Rahul Chahar, who claimed 3-18, to squeeze Sunrisers on the slow Chennai pitch – just as they did in Mumbai’s defeat of Kolkata on Tuesday.
Hardik Pandya was also excellent in the field, with direct hits accounting for Warner and Abdul Samad.
While Vijay Shankar – who earlier took 2-19 for the ball – was the crease, Sunrisers had hope, and the equation of 27 runs needed from three overs with five wickets in hand was manageable.
But Boult and fellow pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah were superb, Bumrah having Shankar slice to long-off in the 19th over, before Boult nailed yorkers to account for Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Khaleel Ahmed to end with figures of 3-28.
The margin of victory highlighted the importance of Pollard’s 35 not out from 22 balls and the costliness of Shankar dropping the West Indian at deep mid-wicket when he had 18.
Mumbai had struggled to post an imposing total, yet Pollard’s blows over long-on off Bhuvneshwar proved the difference.
