243! Mumbai Indians had 243 runs on the board as they looked to snap out of their dire run of form in the Indian Premier League. But it just wasn’t enough as red-hot Sunrisers Hyderabad posted the fourth-highest run chase in the history of the tournament and handed Hardik Pandya’s side their sixth loss of the season.
Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) and Travis Head (76 off 30) got SRH going and added 129 runs for the first wicket. But the hero, the real hero of the chase, was Heinrich Klaasen, who played his best innings of the season and led the team to one of its most dominant batting performances of the season.
This game was a testament to the monumental development that has taken place in the SRH team over the last two seasons. SRH were not a good chasing side in 2024 when they reached the IPL final. In 2025, the problem worsened and the team was pushed out of the playoff spots.
They recognized the problem, made a simple fix and secured the No. 4 spot for Klaasen in 2026. The right-hander struggled in a few games early on, but has since been picking up runs at will this season.
Klaasen reached his peak in the IPL last season when he scored 487 runs in 14 matches. He has already crossed the 400 run mark in IPL 2026 and that too in just 9 games.
MI vs SRH, IPL 2026: Highlighting | Scorecard
Klaasen stepped up to bat in the ninth over as SRH lost the wickets of Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan. He stood at the crease and directed the team’s chase in clinical fashion. Instead of over-hitting the ball, he aimed for the gaps and finished the game with 7 fours and 4 sixes.
Klaasen’s composure, mixed with youngster Salil Arora’s quickfire 30* off 10 balls, helped SRH seal the game and once again proved how wrong the pundits were about the team’s potential at the start of the season. MI vs SRH: Klaasen, Salil Arora celebrate victory against Mumbai Indians. (Photo by Reuters)
MI vs. SRH: RICKELTON’S CENTURY GOES TO PAY
The first innings of the game reflected the swinging momentum of the chase. Desperate to get back into the game, Mumbai Indians tried another new pair at the top. Will Jacks, returning from holiday, was paired with Ryan Rickelton, who replaced his South African compatriot Quinton de Kock.
Rickelton started his IPL 2026 campaign with a beautiful innings of 81 runs against KKR but was later run out. Returning to form, the left-hander found perfect support in Jacks, who raced to 46 runs off just 22 balls. The Englishman continued his exceptional touch from the T20 World Cup, albeit in an unfamiliar position.
Rickelton and Jacks added 93 runs in the first 7 overs. After scoring 78 in the over, the duo put Harsh Dubey to the sword and took 15 off the spin which should have calmed things down for SRH.
Out of ideas, Pat Cummins turned to Nitish Reddy in the eighth over. The medium cruise increased the pace up to 140 to push Jacks behind the stumps. Jacks’ appeal brought vice-captain Suryakumar Yadav to the crease. But the batsman’s stay was cut short by Eshan Malinga when a sharp short ball caught Suryakumar in two minds. The right-hander was late to the shot and was eventually caught at fine leg.
With two wickets in the space of 9 balls, SRH were hoping to get back into the game. But Ryan Rickelton had other plans.
As the franchise sprung into life, Rickelton went on an absolute rampage and Naman Dhir simply turned the strike at the other end.
Apart from one through Eshan Malinga in the 13th over, Mumbai absolutely dominated the middle overs as they scored over 200 runs in 16 overs. Just when it looked like Mumbai would all but clear the 250-run mark, SRH’s bowling attack led by Pat Cummins conceded just 41 runs and handed SRH the momentum for the chase.
With the win, SRH claimed the third spot in the Indian Premier League table. They have now won five games in a row and look like one of the early favorites to make the playoffs this season.
More to follow…
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
29 Apr 2026 23:58 IST
