Rohit, Boult star as Mumbai surge into IPL top four

HYDERABAD: Star batsman Rohit Sharma smashed 76 and pace bowler Trent Boult claimed 4-26 as Mumbai Indians thrashed Sunrisers Hyderabad to move up to third in the IPL table on Wednesday.
New Zealand’s Boult, a left-arm quick, and fellow pace bowler Deepak Chahar ripped apart the top of Hyderabad’s batting order as they collapsed to 35-5 before managing 143-8.
Five-time champions Mumbai achieved their target with 26 balls and seven wickets to spare after Rohit registered his second successive half-century, smacking eight fours and three sixes in his 46-ball knock to lead the chase.
But the 35-year-old Boult set up victory with his two early wickets and was named player of the match.
“I still love the feeling of competing and getting wickets,” said Boult, who retired from international cricket in 2024.
“It’s a huge tournament, there are hundreds of thousands of bowlers who’d love to do what we’re doing so it’s about not taking it for granted.”
It was Mumbai’s fourth straight win and a victory that propelled them three spots from sixth in the 10-team table led by Gujarat Titans.
Hyderabad, who are captained by Australia’s Pat Cummins, slumped to their sixth loss in eight matches.
“We have a few away games now, it will be about assessing each wicket as quickly as possible,” said Cummins.

“Some days it will be all-out attack, some days it will be about weighing our options.”
Rohit and England’s Will Jacks (22) laid the platform for Mumbai in their second-wicket partnership of 64.
Jacks got out but Rohit stood firm to raise his fifty in an another key stand of 53 with Suryakumar Yadav, who made an unbeaten 40 off 19 balls.
The match began with a tribute to the victims of the deadly attack in Kashmir as a minute’s silence was