Hardik, Piyush restrict Sunrisers to 173/8

Piyush Chawla after dismissing SRH’s Heinrich Klaasen yesterday. Pic/Atul Kamble

Only recently, Mumbai Indians restricted Kolkata Knight Riders inside 170 at the Wankhede Stadium, but their batters fell 24 runs short of the target.

On Monday, the MI bowlers tried their best to better their performance against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), but the Pat Cummins-led team somehow managed to post 173-8 in the allotted 20 overs at the same ground.

It seemed everything went in favour of the hosts as skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and bowled first. He and leg-spinner Piyush Chawla dismissed six key batters.
SRH opener Travis Head (30-ball 48, 7x4, 1x6) and Cummins (17-ball 35 not out, 2x4, 2x6) showed some spark to give the visitors some hope of a big score, for which SRH have been known for this year.

Head was lucky to survive on a couple of occasions when his inside edges earned him few boundaries. He smashed debutant pacer Anshul Kamboj (1-42) for a six over the mid-wicket fence. A couple of balls later, Kamboj clean bowled Head, but the umpire declared it a no ball and Head survived. On his next ball too, Kamboj overstepped and Head capitalised on it with back-to-back fours. It was not an ideal start for the young MI pacer from Haryana. He conceded 13 runs in his first over and 19 in the second.

At the time of going to press, SRH were 83-3 in nine overs.

Earlier, when ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah (1-23) was introduced in the attack in the fourth over, both Head and Abhishek Sharma (11) gave him respect and managed only four singles in the over. In search of a wicket, Pandya got Bumrah to bowl his second over in the Powerplay and the pace ace didn't disappoint his captain, dismissing opener Abhishek through wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan. At the end of the first six overs, the visitors were 56-1.

Head got lucky again when pacer Nuwan Thushara (0-42) dropped him on 44 at third man off Kamboj in the eight over.

The Australian missed his fourth half-century in the tournament when Chawla dismissed him through Tilak Varma; the left-hander trying to target the mid-wicket fence.