IPL 2020: 3 mistakes committed by the losing team in MI vs SRH game

It was the fourth game at Sharjah and like the previous three, the batting team crossed the 200-run mark. Mumbai Indians’ batsmen played some amazing shots and displayed an absolute massacre against Sunrisers Hyderabad’s fragile bowling attack. SRH were struggling with the injuries to their two important pacers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Khaleel Ahmed, and MI exploited the opportunity to make 208 runs in their 20 overs.

While chasing the massive total, SRH fell short by 34 runs and lost their third match of the season. David Warner played a captain’s knock, scoring a responsible fifty but in order to score quick runs at the end, he got out and SRH lot their way. From here on, SRH need to find answers for their various shortcomings and need to find an apt team combination before their next encounter to get back on the winning track.

Here are the three mistakes committed by SRH in match 17, MI vs SRH:-

1. 20 runs in the last four balls of the 20th over

SRH started the game quite well by dismissing the man in form, Rohit Sharma, early on. However, Mumbai’s strongest link, their finishers were yet to come. In absence of SRH’s death overs’ specialist Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan was expected to handle the duties. However, the Afghan spinner was used more during the middle overs and his quota finished after 16 overs.

With an inexperienced bowling attack, Mumbai Indians made a mockery of the last four overs and scored 59 runs in them which included 20 runs off last four balls off Siddharth Kaul. Krunal Pandya took the pacer to the cleaners with a four-ball 20. Had MI restricted the Sunrisers under 195, SRH would have had a better chance to chase the target down.

2. Middle-order woes

SRH’s batting order has their most experienced batsmen in the top four and the young Indian players form the middle-order. These youngsters played quite well in the last game but on Sunday, while chasing a huge total, they crumbled yet again. SRH started quite well but as the required-rate started to rise in the second-half of the innings, MI grabbed complete control against the inexperienced-middle order.

3. A set batsman didn’t stay till the end

While chasing 209, SRH planned their chase exceptionally well and didn’t lose any wickets early on. Their plan was to keep wickets till the end to capitalise on the small ground and flat pitch. However, as David Warner got out in the 16th over, there was no set batsman in the middle to hit the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult out of the park.

A a result SRH were unable to cash in on the decent start they got. With such top-heavy batting order, the Orange Army need to make sure that one of their set batsmen stays till the very end.