Slow but steady Mumbai feel at home vs SRH

MI bowlers make hay on sluggish wicket, restrict Sunrisers to just 162; batters make sure no hiccup during chase

- FIROZ MIRZA @Mumbai

ONLY time will tell what this edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be better known for but early trends suggest catches being spilled will be one among them. Catches win matches, says an old adage but the contesting teams seemingly have not paid heed to the same.

Thursday was no different as Mumbai Indians were sloppy on the field dropping as many as two catches in the very first over. The dangerous opening pair of Sunrisers Hyderabad got a reprieve as pacer Deepak Chahar could not believe his luck. Abhishek Sharma edged the first ball of the innings but Will Jacks couldn't latch onto a catch that went above his head for four. Then Travis Head slammed it straight to Karn Sharma at mid-wicket but that too was grassed.

Most of the times, such reprieves to Travishek, as they are fondly known these days, could have cost the teams dear but not on Thursday. The duo, who have the ability to rip apart any bowling attack on their day, looked rusty and failed to connect on most occasions thanks a sluggish surface.