Sharjah: Captain David Warner led from the front as SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) not only handed Mumbai Indians (MI) a reality check as they outclassed the reigning champions by 10 wickets in the last league match of the Indian Premier League (IPL), but also enter playoffs.
SRH, thus, became the fourth and final team to advance to the playoffs, after MI, Delhi Capitals (DC), and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
The SRH win shattered the hopes of the fifth-placed Kolkata Knight Riders to advance to playoffs. KKR finished with 14 points, the same as SRH and RCB, but lost out on net run rate (-0.214).
After the outcome of the contest, MI finished the round-robin stage at the first spot with 18 points and is flowed by DC (16 points), SRH (14, net run rate +0.608) and RCB (14, net run rate -0.172).
Kings XI Punjab, Chennai Super Kings, and Rajasthan Royals finished sixth, seventh, and eighth respectively on net run rate, as they had 12 points each.
SRH finished at 151 without loss in 17.1 overs at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Chasing the target, the SRH duo swiftly took their side to 56 runs before steadily adding another 33 runs in the next four overs. Warner notched up his fourth half-century and Wriddhiman Saha his second of the season, in the 12th over.
The MI bowlers struggled to get breakthroughs and ended up remaining wicketless as the SRH openers comfortably steered their side home without enduring any hiccups.
Warner’s 58-ball knock was laced with 10 boundaries and a six while Saha smashed seven fours and a maximum.
Earlier, SRH restricted MI at 149/8 wickets in 20 overs, thanks to some impressive bowling efforts.
IPL 2020 playoff final fixtures
Thursday Nov 5 Qualifier 1: Mumbai Indians v Delhi Capitals (Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai)
Friday Nov 6 Eliminator: Sunrisers Hyderabad v Royal Challengers Bangalore (Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi)
Sunday Nov 8 Qualifier 2: Mumbai/Delhi v Hyderabad/Bangalore (Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi)
Tuesday Nov 10 Final: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
