Alzarri Joseph stars as Mumbai Indians thrash Sunrisers Hyderabad by 40 runs

Hyderabad: Young West Indies pacer Alzzari Joseph made a dream IPL debut by recording the best bowling figures in tournament’s history as Mumbai Indians picked up a 40-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in a low-scoring game on Saturday.
Keiron Pollard hammered an unbeaten 46 off 26 balls, helping Mumbai Indians recover to 136 for seven after an ordinary start.
While Pollard was the stand out batsman, another West Indian in Joseph made all the difference in the bowling department, ending with sensational figures of six for 12 in 3.4 overs, bettering the effort of Pakistan pacer Sohail Tanvir, who had taken six for 14 in the inaugural IPL edition in 2008.
Hyderabad were all out for 96 in 17.4 overs. It was the third win for Mumbai Indians in five games while Hyderabad suffered their second loss in five matches.
Considering the stellar form of openers David Warner and Jonny Bairstow, 137 was expected to be a comfortable chase for Hyderabad.
But they both were dismissed cheaply and that exposed the middle order which had not been tested much courtesy the devastating run of the openers. I It was the first time this season that Hyderabad lost a wicket in the first six overs.
Young West Indies pacer Joseph bowled a dream first over in the IPL, dismissing Warner in a wicket maiden.
In his following over, the 22-year-old got rid of Vijay Shankar to leave Hyderabad at 43 for three in seven overs and spice up the contest.
Leggie Rahul Chahar picked up two important wickets to increase the pressure on the home team which was reduced to 62 for five in the 12th over.
The hosts needed 53 off the last 30 balls and ended up well short of the target with Joseph running through the opposition line-up.
Earlier, it seemed Hyderabad would limit Mumbai to a sub-120 total before Pollard’s brute power came to the fore, enabling the visitors to collect 39 crucial runs off the final 12 balls.
Until Pollard cut loose, Hyderabad put up an impressive bowling effort on a slow pitch.
Poor fielding let Hyderabad down towards the end of the innings. (PTI)