CHENNAI: When Ryan Rickelton smashed an unbeaten 123 off 55 balls, taking Mumbai Indians to 243/5 against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Wankhede, it was just the tonic the five-time champions needed to fight and rescue this campaign.
Rickelton started the season alongside Rohit Sharma, keeping Quinton de Kock out of the XI. After a stellar SA20, the 29-year-old was expected to replicate the same in the IPL. And he did in the very first match with an 81 that led to MI winning their opening game in more than a decade. However, since then, his form, along with MI’s, dropped. Four more games and a De Kock century later, he was dropped.
With one win in just five games, MI was desperate and that led to more changes. De Kock took centrestage. But a wrist injury post the last game meant Rickelton was welcomed back into the XI. The South African, going up against Sunrisers Hyderabad, took it upon himself to stand up for the team on a flat surface. With support from Will Jacks (44) and Hardik Pandya (31), he had done his part. The total was a little shy of what India had posted against England in the T20 World Cup semifinal a few months ago.
This, however, is no semifinal. And there is the matter of the Impact Player rule. But above all, SRH had Travishek — Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma. The latter had been consistently hitting the stride, giving quick starts with fifties for Hyderabad. However, on Wednesday, Head showed up.
And when he does, there is no stopping him. Abhishek took the lead with sixes off Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah, but Head reserved the best for Boult. In the third over, he launched the left-arm seamer thrice into the stands. Pandya turned to Jacks’ off-spin but there was little respite. Abhishek got under the Englishman to hit two fours before Head deposited him in the stands.
The best of the lot, meanwhile, came against Bumrah. Desperate for a breakthrough, Pandya turned to Bumrah for the second time in the powerplay. The premium pacer, who has been a shadow of himself through this season with just two wickets to show so far, was at the receiving end of the hammering.
Head first sent him downtown for a 99m six and then carved the pacer behind point for a four. Abhishek followed his act with a slice into the stands through the off-side. By the time the powerplay was done, scoreboard read 92/0 in six overs. Another six followed.
That is when AM Ghazanfar struck twice in as many balls, removing the dangerous Abhishek and Ishan Kishan. While the opener had done his part, the job was not yet complete. With 130/2 in nine overs, the responsibility to see through the chase was still on Head and Heinrich Klaasen who had just joined him. Head fell, but Klaasen (65 n.o) took over and saw the chase through with Salil Arora (30 n.o) as SRH bagged their fifth consecutive win.
Brief scores: MI 243/5 in 20 ovs (Rickelton 123 n.o; Hinge 2/54) lost to SRH 249/4 in 18.4 ovs (Head 76, Klaasen 65 n.o, Arora 30 n.o, Abhishek 45).
