Khalid Mohamed

Mumbai Indians derailed Sunrisers Hyderabad’s qualification hopes with a thrilling, seven-wicket victory at the Wankhede Stadium here on Monday night.
Chasing a testing 179, Kieron Pollard 66 (27b, 2x4, 8x6) played a thunderous innings to steer Mumbai home with three balls to spare. He was given good support by skipper Rohit Sharma (20) towards the end.
The hosts also kept their unbeaten home record intact with win, and with one match to go.
This was after Shikhar Dhawan 59 (41b, 6x4, 2x6) scored a brisk half century to power the Sunrisers to their highest total of 178/3. Skipper Cameron White 43 not out (23b, 3x4, 3x6) finally came good at the death while Hanuma Vihari 41 (37b, 4x4) and Parthiv Patel 26 (14b, 5x4) also played their part in taking their team to their highest ever total.
Mumbai made a steady start, reaching 39/1 with Dwayne Smith (21) back in the dug out. Sachin Tendulkar 38 retired (31b, 3x4, 1x6) and Dinesh Karthik 30 (23b, 4x4) shared 68 runs for the second wicket to set Mumbai on their way.
Tendulkar’s retirement immediately after hitting a six broke the momentum as Karthik got a leading edge off legspinner Karan Sharma. The leggie also nailed Ambati Rayudu as hosts’s were reduced to 99/3 in the 14th over.
Requiring 62 from four overs, Thisara Perera’s 17th over worth 29 runs proved to be decisive. Pollard hit three sixes and a four after Rohit started the over with a six. Amit Mishra went for 21 runs in the next over with Pollard hitting three sixes and from thereon it was the hosts’ game.
Dale Steyn (0/23) bowled his heart out and Karan Sharma (2/22) was impressive in his three overs but rest went for plenty.
Earlier, Patel hammered four boundaries off Mitchell Johnson to get 19 runs from the Eagles’ first over and set his team on their way on a good batting wicket.
Patel who looked in fluent touch, got a reprieve on 25 but he could add just one more run, before pulling straight into the hands of Ambati Rayudu at deep square leg off Lasith Malinga in the same over.
Dhawan carried on, getting boundaries in every over to maintain a healthy run rate. The Eagles posted 52/1 in powerplays and Dhawan maintained the flourish even after the field restrictions were over.
He reached his fifty with a crisp drive for four off Malinga. Dhawan put on 73 runs for the second wicket in 54 balls with impressive youngster Vihari, before Johnson dismissed the Delhi left hander in the 13th over with a slower ball.
White showed the urgency to accelerate from the start and Vihari also broke free to unleash big strokes. White on 23 was dropped by Rayudu and he made the hosts pay.
Malinga (2/26) was the only bright spot in the hosts’ listless bowling. Johnson (1/43), Dhawal Kulkarni and Pragyan Ojha (0/37) went for plenty. Harbhajan Singh gave away 19 runs in his three overs. The hosts also dropped two catches.
Mumbai were left to chase for the first time at this ground this season after White won the toss and elected to bat. MI made two changes by bringing in Pollard and local boy Kulkarni. Glenn Maxwell and Abu Nichem Ahmed were unlucky to miss out. The visitors remained unchanged.