Jonny Bairstow pulled off one of the best catches of IPL 2021 so far as Sunrisers Hyderabad managed to find a timely breakthrough against Mumbai Indians at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Meanwhile, Mumbai managed to post 152 runs in their quota of 20 overs with all-rounder Kieron Pollard providing the late impetus with a 35-run knock.
Opting to bat first, defending champions Mumbai Indians got off to a flying start. Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock added a 50-run stand in just 6.3 overs before the Mumbai skipper walked back. Sunrisers Hyderabad chipped in with another wicket dismissing the dangerous-looking Suryakumar Yadav.
David Warner & Co tried to find their way back with Rashid Khan and Mujeeb ur Rahman dominating the middle-overs with some assistance from the turf. De Kock and Ishan Kishan, who are a force to reckon with it against spinners found it difficult to time the ball. With the momentum on their side, Sunrisers Hyderabad chipped in with a couple of more wickets with Jonny Bairstow grabbing a stunning catch to dismiss Ishan Kishan.
Jonny Bairstow picks the catch of IPL 2021 so far
Mujeeb ur Rahman pushed through the ball which was drifting down leg. Ishan Kishan went down on his knee as he looked to play the slog-sweep – gets a fine under-edge. Jonny Bairstow reacts quickly, moves across to his right, and then holds onto a sharp chance – made it look easy. However, it was far from it. Probably, one of the catches of the tournament so far.
Watch the video here:
— Cricsphere (@Cricsphere) April 17, 2021
Meanwhile, a couple of missed opportunities gave Mumbai Indians the chance to claw their way back in the game. Kieron Pollard, who was dropped on 18 runs, smacked a couple of sixes in the last overs to propel the defending champions to 152 runs – a challenging total with the bowling attack they boast.