Mumbai Indians had won their last away game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, but went down by 12 runs here. In chase of a stiff target of 222, MI scored 209 thanks to a good effort from Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma. But two major players didn’t arrive—and it cost them.
Yadav, who is known for his aggressive stroke play, had a game to forget. Surya Mande made only 28 off 26 balls even though he was granted two lifelines during his innings. Sixes they were plenty in the innings, and that was what was eyebrow-raising. He struck five boundaries but absorbed too many dot balls, finishing with a strike rate of just 107.69. In a high-pressure chase like this his slow scoring hurt the team’s momentum and piled the pressure on the middle order.
Then there’s Will Jacks. Signed by MI for a staggering price, the English batter has been below par until now. He scored 22 runs off 18 balls including two fours and one six in this match. His strike rate? A paltry 122.22 — nowhere near required when pursuing 222. Jacks has batted at number three and had an opportunity to set the tone early in the innings, but once more failed to set the world alight.
With neither batter able to fire, however, Mumbai struggled to keep up with the required run rate, falling ever further behind. Hardik and Tilak attempted to make amends but the damage was done.
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