IPL 2023: ‘Last year did us a huge favour,’ Rohit Sharma sends cheeky message to RCB after win against SRH
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season has reached its final stage of league games and two teams are left with a spot to make it to the playoffs. As Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma sent a cheeky message to Faf du Plessis and co. RCB need to lose against defending champions Gujarat Titans for MI to make it to the playoffs.
“What you can control, you can control and then hope for the best. I haven’t spoken to anyone. If we don’t get through it, we blame ourselves. If we don’t get through it, If we pass, I give all the credit to the boys. That’s how it works. Last year, we did RCB a huge favour, I hope we get the result we’re looking for,” Rohit said after the match. said in a later presentation.
Cameron Green hit a brilliant incomplete century as Rohit Sharma scored a half-century and Akash Madhwal claimed a four-for as Mumbai Indians registered a comprehensive eight-wicket win against Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2023 at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
Mumbai Indians needed to win the match to keep their chances of making the playoffs alive, and their progress will now depend on the result of the final preliminary league match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Titans in Bangalore. If RCB wins then its net run rate will be better.
However, Mumbai Indians fulfilled their part of the bargain by securing a comprehensive win which took them to 16 points.
Green completed his century on the last ball of the 18th over and achieved the feat in 47 balls. Rohit Sharma contributed a 27-ball 56 as Mumbai Indians posted 201/2 in 18 overs, chasing Sunrisers Hyderabad’s 200/5 with Vivrant Sharma (69) and Mayank Agarwal (83) ), who shared a 140-run partnership for the first wicket.
Madhwal claimed 4-37 to take Sunrisers Hyderabad back, who were looking at scores in the 220/230 range at one stage. SRH could only manage 43 runs in the death overs losing four wickets.
Going for a big win to boost their Net Run Rate (NRR) as they are locked in a three-way battle for the sole play-off spot with Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals to make things difficult for RCB The Titans, who will be playing Gujarat, got off to a brisk start in the evening match. They had to reach 201 in 12 overs to take their NRR ahead of RCB.
After a quiet opening over from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishan Kishan brought K Nitish Kumar Reddy into action with a six and a four off the second ball. However, Kishan (14) was out in the very next over, ballooning a pull off a short ball from Bhuvneshwar and took a fine low catch by Harry Brook diving to his left at midwicket.
Rohit and Green wreak havoc on SRH
Captain Rohit Sharma and Australian all-rounder Cameron Green put on 128 runs for the second wicket off 66 balls, with both players bringing up their half-centuries in the process.
Rohit hit eight fours and a six in his innings of 56 runs in 37 balls. Starting with a four off Bhuvneshwar off the second ball of the innings, Rohit got a reprieve in the sixth over when the back-paddling Sanveer Singh dropped a difficult chance at midwicket off Karthik Tyagi. Rohit hit Umran Malik for a four in the 8th over and hit a six off Vivrant’s no ball in the 9th over and hit a hat-trick of fours off Umran Malik in the 10th over.
After being dropped again by Sanveer in the 12th over, the Mumbai Indians skipper brought up his half-century in 31 balls, playing his trademark pulls and drives to set up Mumbai Indians’ chase of 201.
Green went on the offensive from the start as he hit Bhuvneshwar for a four in the third over and then got the same result against Mayank Dagar. He danced down the track and lofted Reddy for a six and then edged Karthik Tyagi on a no-ball. In the seventh over, two fours off Tyagi and two sixes off Dagar completed their half-century partnership. Green continued in the same way and reached his half-century in 20 balls with a six off Vivrant. He survived Klaasen’s stumping off Reddy in the 13th over and reached the milestone off 47 balls, hitting eight fours and as many sixes. ,
Earlier, Mumbai Indians bowlers failed to find early success as Mayank Agarwal and Vivrant Sharma shared the wicket for 13 overs to put on 140 runs for the opening partnership.
The SRH openers made a quiet start before ramping up the scoring rate towards the end of the power-play. Vivrant Sharma hit a boundary off the third ball bowled by Jason Behrendorff in his first over and then got into action in the fourth over with back-to-back boundaries off Chris Jordan – the first one cleverly over third-man and backward point. The middle guided while the second came when he slapped a length ball through the covers, charging down slightly. He hit veteran spinner Piyush Chawla for two fours in the sixth over.
At the other end, Mayank Agarwal hit consecutive boundaries off Behrendorff in the third over, first slapping a slower one over the bowler’s head for a four and then running down a few steps to drive the cover, past Jordan at mid-off . He hit two fours off Akash Madhwal in the fifth over and dismissed Kumar Kartikeya at short third man for four in the seventh over. When Behrendorff returned for his second spell, Agarwal slammed him for six over cover and then attempted a yorker at short third man off the next ball of the 13th over.
Vivrant brought up his half-century in 36 balls with the help of seven fours and a six as SRH reached 100 in 66 balls. Agarwal completed his half-century in 32 balls with the help of seven fours and a six.
Agarwal, who hit Madhwal for a six in the 14th over and then a four and a six off successive deliveries from Kartikeya, and Heinrich Klaasen put on 34 runs for the second wicket before the Karnataka batsman pulled Ishan Kishan off Madhwal. left behind in the attempt. He scored 83 runs in 46 balls which included eight fours and four sixes.
Klaasen didn’t last long as SRH suffered a wobble and it was a four and a six from skipper Aiden Markram (13 off 7) in the final over that helped them reach 200, which proved insufficient in the end Hui.
Brief scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad 200/5 in 20 overs (Vivrant Sharma 69, Mayank Agarwal 83; Akash Madhwal 4-37) Mumbai Indians 201/2 in 18 overs (Cameron Green 100 not out, Rohit Sharma 56, Suryakumar Yadav 25) lost not out; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1-26). (With IANS inputs)