Images from the Indian Premier League match between Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad, at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, on Sunday.
Cameron Green's magnificent maiden hundred and Rohit Sharma's half century powered Mumbai Indians to a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their concluding league match of IPL 2023, at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, on Sunday.
Mumbai knocked off the target of 201 with 12 balls and eight wickets to spare to accumulate 16 points from 14 matches.
That victory proved crucial as Royal Challengers Bangalore's six-wicket defeat against Gujarat Titans meant the five-time champions made it to the IPL Play-Offs.
Green smacked eight fours and eight sixes during his unbeaten 100, which came off just 47 balls. He added 53 runs with Suryakumar Yadav (25 not out) for an unbroken third-wicket stand to take Mumbai over the line.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar drew first blood when he dismissed Ishan Kishan (14) in the third over. Rohit got a lifeline in the fifth over when Sanvir Singh dropped a difficult catch at midwicket off Nitish Kumar Reddy.
But Green provided the impetus, as his four boundaries and a couple of sixes took MI to 60 for 1 after the powerplay.
While Green brought up his fifty off only 20 balls, in the ninth over, Rohit was off to a modest start, hitting his first six only on the 22nd ball that he faced.
The Mumbai Indians skipper completed his second fifty of this IPL, off 31 balls, and his second-wicket stand with Green took the total past the 100-run mark.
Soon after, Rohit got another reprieve when Sanvir spilled a regulation catch at cover off Kartik Tyagi.
However, a sensational catch from Reddy had Mayank Dagar celebrating Rohit's wicket wildly in the 14th over.
Rohit's 56 came off 37 balls (8x4s, 1x6s), having added 128 off 65 balls with Green.
Earlier, unheralded Uttarakhand pacer Akash Madhwal nailed his yorkers consistently at the death as Mumbai Indians restricted Sunrisers Hyderabad to 200 for 5.
With one eye on the weather in Bengaluru, where Royal Challengers Bangalore takes on Gujarat Titans later in the evening, Madhwal's four-wicket haul ensured SRH ended with at least 15 short of what could be considered a par-score on a flat track.
This was after a century opening stand between seasoned opener Mayank Agarwal (83 off 45 balls) and rookie Vivrant Sharma (69 off 47 balls) threatened to take the game away.
The pair of Agarwal and Vivrant put on the best opening stand for SRH this season, reaching 53 without loss after the powerplay without taking any undue risks, and eventually putting on 140 for the seventh century stand of this IPL.
Courtesy Madhwal's 4 for 37, which included two lethal block-hole deliveries to clean up the in-form Heinrich Klaasen (18) and Harry Brook (0), SRH could score only 26 in last three overs.
For a bowling unit that has allowed contests to drift away at the Wankhede Stadium on several occasions, Mumbai made regular inroads to keep SRH within reach.
However, the task is an improbable one for MI as they will have to score 201 in just 11.4 overs, or from 70 balls, to overtake Royal Challengers Bangalore's Net Run Rate.
Playing in his third game this season, and for the first time as an opener, the left-handed Vivrant provided a fine example of himself with strokes on both the sides of the wicket.
Vivrant struck seven fours and a six to bring up his maiden IPL half-century in the 10th over, as SRH cruised in the first half of the contest unscathed and unperturbed by MI's bowlers.
Agarwal too ended his drought, hitting a six and four off Jason Behrendorff in the 13th over to bring up his first fifty this season, and celebrated with a gesture that batters usually do upon reaching the three-figure mark — taking off the helmet and arms stretched wide.
On a benign pitch, in extreme hot and humid conditions, there was also not much that the Mumbai bowlers could do on what also has been batting-friendly surface.
With no movement or turn off the surface, the MI bowlers had to contend with bowling disciplined line and lengths, and, to their credit, they never really allowed the SRH openers to get away.
The first breakthrough came in the 14th over when Madhwal had Vivrat caught at deep mid-wicket; his 69 off 47 balls (9 fours, 2 sixes) is the highest score since the first IPL for any Indian player in a debut innings.
Madhwal continued to use the short ball well and in the 17th over he had Agarwal caught behind for 83, which came off 46 balls, including eight fours and four sixes.
