IPL 2024: 3 milestones that could be reached in today's SRH vs MI encounter
The stage is set for a high-octane clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 8th match of IPL 2024 on Wednesday, March 27. It will be the first game this season at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
Both teams are coming off narrow defeats in their opening encounters and will be desperate to register their first win of the season.
SRH were unlucky to lose to Kolkata by just four runs, despite a valiant knock of 63 off 29 from Heinrich Klaasen. Their batting, especially the top-order, needs some stability, while Pat Cummins led the team well enough in his first assignment.
Mumbai, meanwhile, had no one but to blame themselves for their loss against the Gujarat Titans (GT). The five-time champions were well ahead in the game but lost wickets in clusters during their run-chase of 169. Eventually, they ended up six runs short.
As both teams prepare for what could be a great battle, let's take a look at three significant milestones that can be reached in the SRH vs. MI game.
#3 T Natarajan could complete 50 wickets for SRH
T Natarajan was inarguably Hyderabad's best bowler on show in their previous game against KKR. The left-arm pacer bagged three important wickets in the form of Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh in his spell of 3/32.
He now has 49 wickets to his name for the Sunrisers outfit and needs just one more to complete the milestone of 50 scalps for the franchise. Natarajan is the fourth-highest wicket-taker for SRH and is only behind Bhuvneshwar Kumar (146), Rashid Khan (93) and Siddarth Kaul (52) on the list.
#2 Rohit Sharma can become the first Indian to hit 1500 boundaries (4s + 6s) in T20 cricket
Rohit Sharma, a proven aggressor up top, has a chance to make history on Sunday. The former MI captain, who is renowned for dealing in fours and sixes, will most likely become the first Indian player to reach 1,500 boundaries (fours + sixes) in the shortest format of the game.
With 1,007 fours and 488 sixes to his credit, Rohit has pounded 11,199 T20 runs and is just five boundaries short of the remarkable accomplishment.
There have been previously only five batters to smash more than 1,500 boundaries in T20 cricket history.
#1 Jasprit Bumrah could become the fastest Indian pacer to take 150 IPL wickets
Undoubtedly one of the best bowlers in world cricket currently, Jasprit Bumrah showcased how lethal he can be when he claimed a phenomenal 3/14 against GT.
With this, he not only became the bowler with the most three-wicket hauls (20) in the IPL, but took his wicket tally to 148. Bumrah is just two wickets shy of becoming only the fourth-ever pace bowler to complete the milestone of 150 wickets in the cash-rich league.
Dwayne Bravo (183), Lasith Malinga (170), and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (170) are the only pacers with more IPL wickets than Bumrah. Moreover, if the MI fast bowler gets to the landmark tonight, he will become the fastest Indian pacer to complete 150 IPL wickets.
Bhuvneshwar took 138 games to achieve the feat, while Bumrah has so far only played 121 games in the league.