Mumbai captain Shardul Thakur has suggested changing the start times of evening games in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Super League to give all teams a fair chance.
Shardul on match timings
Currently, the evening matches begin at 4:30 p.m., and Thakur believes that as the dew sets in, the toss becomes very important. He pointed out that the team bowling first often gets an advantage because of the conditions, and he feels this is something that should be reviewed.
“The timings are a bit odd. The venue has been used before, so there are a lot of used pitches here, so they water it and roll it again. So, when you are playing a morning game, there is a lot of dampness on the pitch, and then it settles down. Even in the evening games, team bowling first gets dry conditions and then suddenly dew comes in, making the toss a big factor,” Shardul told Sportstar.
“A night game should start a little later, so that, if there’s dew, both teams should have that advantage or disadvantage of playing in such conditions. Even the morning games could be pushed a little bit, where pitches get a bit of sun and then it dries out. Then both teams can have those dry conditions. We need to think about it in the longer run,” he added.
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Hyderabad defeated Mumbai
Mohammed Siraj stole the show as Hyderabad dominated Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Super League at the MCA Stadium on Friday. Despite brief resistance from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ajinkya Rahane, Mumbai struggled as Siraj’s fiery spells turned the game in Hyderabad’s favour.
Chasing the modest target, Aman Rao and Tanmay Agarwal took charge, putting Mumbai’s bowlers under pressure from the start. Aman hit 52 not out, while Tanmay smashed 75, guiding Hyderabad to a comfortable nine-wicket victory.
Brief scores:
Mumbai 131 in 18.5 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 29, Hardik Tamore 29, Mohammed Siraj 3/21) lost to Hyderabad 132/1 in 11.5 overs (Tanmay Agarwal 75, Aman Rao 52 n.o.).