Jacks helps Mumbai beat Hyderabad in IPL
MUMBAI: The Mumbai Indians batters and bowlers starred in a comfortable four-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League on Thursday. England all-rounder Will Jacks shone with both bat and ball, picking up two wickets to help restrict Hyderabad to 162 for five and then hitting a 26-ball 36 to help bolster his team’s chase. Five-time champions Mumbai won the toss and bowled on a sluggish pitch at Wankhede Stadium. Decent knocks from openers Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickleton helped set up the chase, while skipper Hardik Pandya smacked a quick 21 runs off nine balls toward the end to seal the game. The match helps restore a bit of Mumbai’s mojo, pushing them into a crowded mid table. They have three victories in seven matches. Pandya said the way his team bowled was “very smart and spot on.” “We stuck to simple, basic plans,” the Mumbai skipper said, adding that once the pressure to get boundaries eased in the second innings, they “pushed the pedal at the end.” Hyderabad openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head kicked off the first innings with a 59-run partnership before Sharma, who hit 40 runs off 28 balls, departed in the eighth over. The team then struggled for momentum with Kishan (2) and Head (28) falling to leave Hyderabad at 83-3 at the end of the 12th over. Disciplined bowling from Jasprit Bumrah and Jacks continued to restrict Hyderabad’s batsmen but a valiant late-innings knock from Heinrich Klaasen (37) infused a glimmer of hope. Young Aniket Verma then smacked a quick 18 runs off eight balls. In reply, Mumbai’s openers made a solid start as Sharma hit 26 and Rickleton 31.