Suryakumar Yadav slammed a sublime hundred to script Mumbai Indians’ (MI) seven-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday (May 6).
Chasing 174 to win, MI lost their top three with just 31 runs on the board. The likes of Ishan Kishan (9), Rohit Sharma (4) and Naman Dhir (0) failed to touch the double-digit mark.
Amid the pressure situation, Suryakumar rose to the occasion as he smashed 102* off 51 balls – his second IPL ton – to take the hosts over the line with 16 deliveries to spare.
During his whirlwind knock, studded with 12 boundaries and 6 sixes, Surya was involved in an unbeaten 143-run partnership with Tilak Varma, who returned with 37* off 32 balls.
After the game, MI skipper Hardik Pandya hailed Suryakumar Yadav’s knock as unbelievable, stating that he is lucky to have 'SKY' in his team.
"SKY was unbelievable. More than him getting runs, him putting so much pressure on bowlers that even other batters get loose balls. He breaks you. He's evolved. Lucky to have him in my team. Hope to have many more such innings," Hardik said at the post-match presentation.
Earlier, Hardik (3-31) and Piyush Chawla (3-33) starred with the ball for MI, picking three wickets each to restrict SRH to 173/8 in 20 overs.
"I don't know the mathematical situation we need to go through but I'm happy with how we went today. Gave 15-20 runs extra but batting was excellent. My bowling - I do the stuff I do. I like bowling good areas and see how it goes. Today it was nipping around and that worked,” the MI captain stated.
"The wickets Piyush took are guys who can take the game away. He asked to long from the shorter side but had to adjust. In T20s, more than change-ups consistency is important, which PC was today, and found success with," he further remarked.
It was MI’s fourth win in 12 games this season. They are currently holding the ninth spot in the 10-team points table.
Mumbai Indians will next face Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens on Saturday (May 11).