Defending champions Mumbai Indians suffered their second-consecutive loss in the 2018 edition of the IPL as they succumbed to a one-wicket defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
A poor performance with the bat proved to be the undoing for Rohit Sharma’s men as they could post only 147-8 after batting first. Only three Mumbai batsmen crossed the 25-run mark with Kieron Pollard being one of them.
Here we take a closer look at Pollard’s 28-run cameo.
STATISTICS
RUNS SCORED: 28
BALLS FACED: 23
BOUNDARIES: 3
SIXES: 2
STRIKE-RATE: 121.73
30-SECOND REPORT
The West Indies all-rounder was called into bat within the first 10 overs itself after Mumbai lost early wickets and he started off in watchful manner before bringing out his trademark big hits pulled off with the minimum of efforts. Pollard’s innings was threatening to stage a late resurgence for the visitors before he was dismissed in bizarre fashion as he looked to check his shot.
GOT RIGHT
With Mumbai struggling for momentum after losing five wickets early, Pollard’s innings gave them a much-needed spark in the middle of the innings. The powerful unit that he is, the right-hander was circumspect at the start of his innings as he looked to get Mumbai’s innings back on track. He did not try to do too much, using his powerful shoulders and timings to find the boundaries without taking too many risks.
GOT WRONG
While there was plenty that Pollard got right, he threw it away at the most crucial of stages. With the final five overs approaching, Mumbai needed Pollard to stay until the very end to have any hopes of a huge total. However, despite being well set, the Trinidad man’s dismissal left much to be desired. He looked to check his punch shot against Billy Stanlake but such is the brute strength in those massive forearms that the ball carried all the way to Shikhar Dhawan at the sweeper-cover boundary.
VERDICT – 6/10
While Pollard did strike some massive blows with the bat in his short cameo, it wasn’t enough in the end as Hyderabad crept over the finishing line. With his undeniable talent to turn the game on its head, Mumbai needed a little more from their star man to have a chance after their top-order collapse. Even a couple more of Pollard’s lusty blows could have made a world of difference to the final outcome.