TATA IPL 2024: Surya's Century Powers Mumbai to 7-Wicket Win Over SRH
Suryakumar Yadav demonstrated his status as one of the top batters in T20 cricket with a remarkable unbeaten century, leading Mumbai Indians to a commanding seven-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in Match 55 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Wankhede Stadium.
Mumbai Indians found themselves in a precarious position at 31/3 after containing Sunrisers Hyderabad to 173/8, courtesy of skipper Hardik Pandya and seasoned spinner Piyush Chawla, both scalping three wickets each. Despite contributing a half-century earlier in the match, Suryakumar Yadav couldn't steer his team to success. However, he redeemed himself with a spectacular innings, showcasing his mastery with shots across the field. He sealed his century with a six, propelling Mumbai to 174/3 in just 17.2 overs.
Suryakumar scored 102 not out off 51 balls, hitting 12 boundaries and six maximums, operating at a strike rate of 200.00 that left the Sunrisers players shell-shocked and the capacity crowd mesmerized. Mumbai Indians moved to eight points from 12 matches and picked them up from the bottom to ninth position. Mumbai Indians got off to a poor start as they lost Ishan Kishan (9), Rohit Sharma (4) and Haman Dhir (0) in quick succession as the hosts slumped to 31/3 in the fifth over.
Pat Cummins brought himself into attack inside the Power-play, and the SRH skipper was rewarded. Rohit Sharma skied a leading edge for Klaasen to run behind to take a difficult catch. However, Suryakumar Yadav came to Mumbai Indians' rescue hitting a timely half-century. The Mumbai batter stayed put at the wicket and unleashed some brilliant shots, playing his usual 360-degree cricket to help his team to a memorable victory.
Though he appeared to be facing a bit of physical discomfort, Suryakumar Yadav, the best T20 batter in the World as per the ICC rankings, played some unbelievable shots and raised a century partnership for the fourth wicket partnership with Tilak Varma that pulled Mumbai Indians to safety.
He reached his half-century in just 30 deliveries, including five boundaries and three sixes along the way. Suryakumar Yadav maintained a brisk scoring rate, dispatching back-to-back boundaries off Jansen in the 13th over. He continued his onslaught with a six off Bhuvneshwar Kumar and consecutive fours off Shahbaz Ahmed in the 15th over. Another boundary off Thangarasu Natarajan propelled him into the 90s. Tilak Varma proved to be an invaluable partner for Suryakumar, offering solid support at the other end, providing encouragement, and contributing 37 runs off 32 balls, embellished with six boundaries.
With 24 runs required off 24 deliveries, Pat Cummins took the ball himself, aiming to break Mumbai's momentum. However, Suryakumar Yadav took charge, unleashing a barrage of two boundaries and a six against the Australian captain. His three consecutive pulled boundaries left the crowd spellbound as he surged into the 90s. Moments later, he sealed his century with a six, securing Mumbai Indians' fourth triumph in IPL 2024.
