Mumbai shook off Friday’s loss to Hyderabad by reeling in a demanding 235 against Haryana in a lively Syed Mushtaq Ali Super League match at Pune. The four-wicket win arrived with 15 balls unused, a useful reminder of the depth that still runs through the defending champions’ batting.
Yashasvi Jaiswal set the tempo, carving a 48-ball hundred – his fourth in T20 cricket – peppered with 16 boundaries and a solitary, towering six. “The pitch was flat, the outfield quick, so it was really just about finding gaps,” he said at the presentation, quite matter-of-fact despite the fireworks.
His innings gathered real momentum once Ajinkya Rahane fell for 21 from ten. Sarfaraz Khan then joined in, and the pair added 88 in a blur of 37 deliveries. Sarfaraz, part of the first batch of capped batters up at the IPL 2026 auction, rattled 64 off 25 (nine fours, three sixes). “I’ve tried not to think about the auction – easier said than done – so this knock helps,” he admitted later.
Mumbai did wobble briefly – three wickets tumbled while the finish line was in sight – yet Atharva Ankolekar calmed nerves by lifting a six and threading a four to seal the chase, Sairaj Patil keeping him company.
Earlier, Haryana’s 234 for 4 owed plenty to captain Ankit Kumar’s brutal 89 from 42, his joint-highest T20 score. Samant Jakhar was even retired out for 31 off 14 in the 19th over, a tactical call on a ground Shardul Thakur described as “tiny square, long straight – tough to defend”. Patil collected the only wickets that actually fell, finishing with 2 for 44; Thakur’s tidy four overs cost just 30, which felt a minor victory in context.
Haryana will rue the 13 wides and a handful of misfields that kept Mumbai within striking distance. Still, 235 is rarely mundane. Mumbai simply found a way, largely down to a left-hander in imperious touch and a middle-order batter with something to prove.
