The Mumbai Indians are officially knocked out of the IPL 2021 playoffs race as the defending champions could not restrict the Sunrisers Hyderabad under 65 runs on Friday. They, now, cannot catch up with Kolkata Knight Riders’ net run rate. Eoin Morgan and company, on the other hand, became the fourth side to qualify for the playoffs.

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SRH skipper Manish Pandey pulled away the fifth ball of the sixth over to backward square leg for a single, bringing up the 66th run in the second innings and denying Mumbai what would have been a miracle qualification. With a win, Rohit Sharma and company will sure tie with KKR on points (14), but the latter qualifies on a superior net run rate. Mumbai had to win the game by 171 runs or more to take their past Kolkata’s 0.587. They scored 236 runs in the first innings making 65 runs as the magic figure. 

SRH opener Jason Roy and Abhishek Sharma hammered the Mumbai bowlers in the powerplay, stitching an 64-run opening stand in just 5.2 overs. The Englishman was caught by Krunal Pandya after he top-edged Trent Boult’s short ball. Roy scored 35 runs off 21 balls. 

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Mumbai Indians eventually reduced Hyderabad to 100/4 after 9.1 overs. 

In the first innings, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav struck whirlwind fifties as Mumbai Indians posted a mammoth 235. 

Kishan found the fence at will and scored his 84 runs off just 32 balls. Yadav’s 82-run knock came off 40 balls during which he hit 13 fours and three sixes.

For Hyderabad, Jason Holder picked four wickets as Abhishek Sharma and Rashid Khan got two each. 

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 “I think the intent was clear for us. We knew we needed to score somewhere around 250 to get them out for 70 odd. Plan was simple. Executed with the bat, now it’s time to go and bowl well. Just go in and play shots, can’t play a selfish game there. That was the thought process. Cricket is a very funny game. Anything can happen. It’s a big difference when you open and bat two down. The intent was clear. Just watch the ball and have options open and play. I can play everywhere,” Ishan Kishan said after the first innings. 

“It was just about giving time for 2-3 balls and again watch the ball and play my game. When you go in with a positive mind anything is possible. It was holding a bit when Rashid was bowling, but overall the wicket is good,” he added.