MUMBAI, India (AP) — Cameron Green scored a 47-ball unbeaten century as Mumbai Indians kept alive its hopes of a spot in the Indian Premier League playoffs with an eight-wicket win against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday.
Mumbai finished its league stage with 16 points from eight wins in 14 matches, but will only get the remaining playoff spot if Royal Challengers Bangalore fails to beat first-place Gujarat Titans later Sunday or that game is a washout. The match in Bangalore started after a rain delay of nearly an hour.
Mumbai’s thumping win also ended Rajasthan Royals' slim hopes for the knockout stage.
“We came with the mindset to win and not worry what happens elsewhere,” Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma said. “Even if we don’t go through, we got ourselves to blame. If we do, (the) boys get credit.”
Last-place Hyderabad finished with four wins and 10 defeats.
Green had struggled with only two half centuries in the previous 13 games but finally struck form with 100 not out as he anchored Mumbai to 201-2 with two overs to spare.
Asked to bat first, Hyderabad couldn’t capitalize on a blistering start of 140 between the opening pair of Mayank Agarwal (83) and Vivrant Sharma (69) before finishing on 200-5.
Fast bowler Akash Madhwal put on the brakes with 4-37 in the latter half of the innings as he dismissed Sharma off a mistimed pull and then found the edge of Agarwal’s bat before knocking back the stumps of Heinrich Klaasen and Harry Brook.
Madhwal’s brilliant bowling helped Mumbai pull back nicely in the death overs. It conceded only 43 runs in the last five overs.
Green struck eight sixes and eight fours in a dominant 128-run stand with Sharma, who made 56 off 37 balls after getting dropped twice.
Both batters were aggressive against impact player Kartik Tyagi and pacer Umran Malik as both bowlers conceded 82 runs off 5.5 overs between them. Malik was wayward in his line and length while Tyagi was also off the mark, giving plenty of opportunities to batters to go for big shots as Mumbai motored to victory.
“Not the campaign we hoped for,” Hyderabad skipper Aiden Markram said. “Lot of learnings along the way."
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