Hyderabad crush Mumbai to boost play-offs chances

TIL Desk Sports/  Defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad strengthened their hold on the fourth and final play-offs spot of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as they thumped top-placed Mumbai Indians by seven wickets at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Monday.

Playing their final home game of the league stage, Hyderabad restricted Mumbai to 138/7 in 20 overs, before Shikhar Dhawan (62 not out off 46 deliveries) and Moises Henriques (44 off 35) shared a 91-run stand for the second wicket to steer them home with 1.4 overs to spare.

Following this win, Hyderabad, having 15 points from 13 games, eliminated Delhi Daredevils (eight points from 11 games) from the race to the play-offs. But Hyderabad’s place in the knock-outs are not confirmed, as fifth-placed Kings XI Punjab (10 points from 11 matches) can still qualify for the play-offs. Only Mumbai have sealed their berth in the play-offs, while Kolkata Knight Riders (16 points from 12 matches) and Rising Pune Supergiant (16 points from 12 matches) are strong contenders.