IPL 2019 | Disappointed to finish on wrong side in Super Over, says Kane Williamson

Mumbai Indians had to bat first against Sunrisers Hyderabad in yesterday's game and ended up scoring an under par 162. In SRH’s reply, Manish Pandey led the charge with an unbeaten 71 off 47 deliveries. The 29-year-old had smashed a six in the final ball of the innings to take the game to the Super Over. 

In the Super Over, Pandey came to bat along with Mohammad Nabi but the former lost his wicket in the very first ball due to a run-out. After smashing a six in the third delivery, the Afghan all-rounder’s stumps were knocked off by Jasprit Bumrah’s yorker and they could only manage eight runs in total. Rashid Khan was handed over the duty to bowl in for SRH and it was a cakewalk for Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya after the latter had smashed a six off the first delivery itself. They scored three more runs in the next two deliveries to take MI to the playoffs. Skipper Kane Williamson expected Rashid Khan to do the job but was disappointed to lose the match.

“We were waiting to see how many runs we will be able to get in the Super Over. When it was eight, we decided to go with Rashid. He is world-class in everything he does so we thought he is our man. I have experience of few Super Overs and that time too, I finished on the wrong side,” he said at the post-match presentation ceremony, reported Cricbuzz.

Earlier in the chase, the duo of Nabi and Pandey had stitched a crucial 49-run partnership for the sixth wicket which kept the 2016 champions’ hopes alive. The skipper credited them for taking the game so close.

“It was a fantastic effort by Manish and Nabi to get us so close. Manish has got a great rhythm to his game now,” expressed the 28-year-old.

The trio of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid and Nabi had stifled the MI batsmen as they only gave 74 runs in their combined 12 overs while claiming two wickets. Along with Basil Thampi and Khaleel Ahmed, who took three wickets, SRH restricted the three-time champions to 162 on Mumbai’s batting friendly track. The next game against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday is now very crucial for SRH to qualify in the playoffs. The skipper felt that it was a shame to lose this match but hoped to carry the same momentum in the next game at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. 

“The first half was very good for us, our bowlers did a brilliant job. We just couldn't get over the line.  It is a shame for us that we ended up on the wrong side today. We have one game left and it is important that we approach that in a similar way,” the New Zealand skipper concluded.