Rohit Sharma’s 200th cap for MI
He may not be the Mumbai captain anymore, but Rohit Sharma sure had a reason to celebrate. This was Rohit Sharma’s 200th appearance for MI in IPL and to commemorate the feat, team mentor Sachin Tendulkar presented Rohit with a special jersey inscribed on which was the number 200. He is the first player to Mumbai to reach the milestone, and third to play 200 IPL games or more for a franchise after Virat Kohli (RCB) and MS Dhoni (CSK).
But, Travis Head starts the party
A tenth different pair for SRH since IPL 2022, but they won’t be complaining. Not after the start TRavis Head provided. Quite a few eyebrows were raised when Head didn’t find a spot in SRH’s starting XI in the season opener but the Australian got a chance in the second and continued his love affair with Indian pitches. He took on the teenaged MI debutant Kwena Maphaka in the second over and raced to a 18-ball half-century inside the PowerPlay, that was also the fastest for SRH in IPL. SRH had 81/0 in the first-six overs – their best in IPL history.
Abhishek Sharma rewrites the record
That record, however, stayed in Head’s name for four overs only as Abhishek Sharma went on to register his half-century in just 16 balls. He took over from Head had left and continued the assault on the famed MI attack, reaching the milestone in the 10th over. SRH’s score of 148/2 at the halfway mark is now the new record for the highest team totals in first 10 overs in IPL history.
Highest-ever IPL total!
This was always on the cards given how Head started. 81 from the powerplay – SRH’s best – 148/2 at the halfway mark, which was IPL’s best ever – and it eventually ended with 129 more added in the second half for a total of 277/3. Shoutout to Heinrich Klaasen, who ensured this mammoth total courtesy some towering sixes off the old ball – seven of them – to finish with 80* off just 34. MI held back Jasprit Bumrah for Klaasen, but even the pace ace was taken apart by the South African when he eventually came on. Bumrah though was the most economical bowler for MI tonight, at 9 RPO – the second best was skipper Hardik Pandya’s 11.5!
