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The dream of a sixth IPL title for Mumbai Indians (MI) ended abruptly on Wednesday night. Their elimination from playoffs contention was confirmed after Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) recorded a dominant victory over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Hyderabad.
Record-Breaking Chase Seals MI’s Fate
SRH chased down LSG’s total of 165 runs with a staggering 10 wickets and 62 balls to spare. Openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma were unstoppable, scoring unbeaten half-centuries to rewrite the record books for the highest target chased within 10 overs in T20 cricket. This emphatic win by SRH not only propelled them back into playoffs contention but also eliminated MI from the race.
Also READ: Twitter erupts as Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma punish LSG to register record win for SRH | IPL 2024
MI’s Struggles Throughout the Season
Hardik Pandya‘s return to the MI fold as captain this season failed to spark the five-time champions. Inconsistent batting performances and a lack of overall team balance plagued their campaign. Despite Jasprit Bumrah leading the wicket charts, MI’s struggles to find a consistent middle-order batting core proved costly.
Two Matches Remaining, A Season to Forget
MI still have two matches remaining in the IPL 2024 season, but these will be mere formalities with their playoff hopes extinguished. The focus for the team will likely shift towards building and strategizing for the upcoming season.
Hardik Pandya’s Mumbai Indians out of IPL 2024 playoffs race#cricket #MI #MumbaiIndians #IPL2024 pic.twitter.com/6XmSr0XKxw
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) May 9, 2024
Wide Open Playoff Race
With MI out of the picture, the race for the remaining playoff spots in IPL 2024 becomes even more intriguing. The remaining nine teams are still in contention, making the final few matches of the season unmissable for cricket fans.