NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians faced criticism for a strategic error that ultimately cost them dearly against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Heinrich Klaasen
, the dynamic batter for Hyderabad, expressed his surprise and satisfaction after his team pummeled the five-time champions, pointing out Mumbai's decision to hold back star bowler
Jasprit Bumrah
during the opening six powerplay overs.
Despite a valiant effort in their reply, Mumbai Indians fell short, posting 246-5, and Klaasen didn't mince words in his assessment of Mumbai's strategy.
"They didn't bowl their best bowler in the powerplay... that was our plan. They missed a trick up front. We've got incredible strikers up front in our batting line-up. They just set the tempo, so our work was basically done.," he remarked to the official broadcaster, highlighting the missed opportunity by Mumbai.
Under the leadership of new captain
Hardik Pandya
, who replaced
Rohit Sharma
this season, Mumbai Indians opted to save Indian paceman Bumrah for the death overs on Wednesday, much to the bewilderment of fans and cricket pundits alike.
Bumrah's absence during the crucial powerplay period proved to be a pivotal factor as Hyderabad's batters capitalized on the opportunity, with Klaasen himself going on a late onslaught to rack up 80 runs off just 34 balls. Aiden Markram contributed a brisk 42 off 28 balls, while earlier contributions from Travis Head (62) and Abhishek Sharma (63) propelled Hyderabad to a mammoth total of 277-3 in their allotted 20 overs.
Former Sunrisers coach Tom Moody echoed Klaasen's sentiments, criticizing Mumbai's decision to sideline Bumrah during the crucial powerplay overs. "Bumrah has to bowl two overs in the powerplay because of what he brings to the table," Moody stated during his analysis for ESPNcricinfo. "One of the priorities in the powerplay is wickets, and he's your best wicket-taker."
(Inputs from Reuters)
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