Rohit’s 70, Boult’s thunder blow SRH away as MI surge into top 3

Rohit Sharma returned to sublime touch with a fluent 70 off 46 balls as Mumbai Indians (MI) cruised to a seven-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Match 41 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Tuesday.

The five-time champions picked up their fourth consecutive win of the season, climbing further up the points table to third position, while SRH’s campaign continued to slide with yet another defeat.

The match began with a tribute to the victims of the deadly attack in Kashmir as a one-minute silence was observed and teams wore black armbands in Hyderabad. Twenty-six men were killed on Tuesday when gunmen burst out of forests at a popular tourist spot in Pahalgam and raked crowds of visitors with automatic weapons.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took the decision to remove the cheerleaders and put a halt to the celebratory fireworks and music customary at IPL matches, as a mark of respect for the victims.

Chasing a modest 144, Rohit anchored the innings with poise and authority. After the early loss of Ryan Rickelton to Jaydev Unadkat, Rohit and Will Jacks counterattacked effectively, collecting 17 runs off Pat Cummins in the third over, including a pair of pulled sixes.

Rohit soon went past Kieron Pollard’s record of 258 sixes for MI, notching his 259th with a signature lofted shot over long-off.

Rohit looked completely in control, manipulating the field with paddle-sweeps, flicks, and cuts, reaching his half-century in 35 balls. His partnership with Jacks set the tone before the English all-rounder fell for 22. Rohit continued the charge with a flurry of boundaries before falling to Eshan Malinga in the 15th over while attempting to create room against a yorker. But by then, MI were firmly in command.

Suryakumar Yadav ensured there were no more hiccups, smashing 40 not out off just 19 balls to complete the chase in 15.4 overs. His innings featured a delightful mix of innovation and power-hitting, ending SRH’s hopes of a late comeback.

Earlier in the evening, MI’s new-ball duo of Trent Boult (4-26) and Deepak Chahar (2-12) dismantled SRH’s top order. Boult struck twice in the power-play and returned to clean up the tail, while Chahar’s early breakthroughs set the tone. SRH were reeling at 35 for 5 inside nine overs, with the pitch offering considerable grip and variable bounce.

“I still love the feeling of competing and getting wickets,” said Boult, who retired from international cricket in 2024.

“It’s a huge tournament, there are hundreds of thousands of bowlers who’d love to do what we’re doing so it’s about not taking it for granted.”

It was only thanks to Heinrich Klaasen’s fighting 71 off 44 and his 99-run partnership with Impact Player Abhinav Manohar (43 off 37) that SRH reached 143/8. Klaasen’s reverse-scooped six off Jasprit Bumrah and some composed strokeplay lifted SRH from a potential embarrassment, but the total remained below par on a pitch that eased out later.

MI’s bowlers stuck to their plans, exploiting the slowness of the track. The most bizarre moment came in the final over when Manohar disturbed his own stumps while trying to defend a Boult yorker. Boult’s 4-26 was instrumental in restricting SRH and earned him high praise for his control and match awareness.

Meanwhile, Cummins admitted that his team lacked a stabilising presence in their innings.

“Abhinav and Klassy got us to a good total, but we couldn’t get through this innings,” Cummins said, referring to SRH’s early collapse to 35 for 5. “Needed a guy to really steady the ship.”

Agencies

Brief scores:

Sunrisers Hyderabad 143/8 in 20 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 71, Abhinav Manohar 43; Trent Boult 4-26, Deepak Chahar 2-12) lost to Mumbai Indians 146/3 in 15.4 overs (Rohit Sharma 70, Suryakumar Yadav 40 not out; Jaydev Undakat -25, Zeeshan Ansari 1-36) by seven wickets