'Is this actual cricket or stick cricket' - Junaid Khan takes dig at batter friendly IPL after SRH vs MI produces 38-six spectacle

Sunrisers Hyderabad took on Mumbai Indians in Match 8 of the Indian Premier League 2024 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday. The game saw SRH score 277 runs, the highest total ever in the history of IPL. As the run-fest entertained fans across the globe, former Pakistan cricketer Junaid Khan took a jibe at the batter’s dominant nature of IPL and short pitches in India to favour them.

A record 38 sixes were hit in the game, the highest for any T20 game throughout the history of the game. Mumbai Indians too joined the bandwagon as they unleashed a barrage of maximums but could not cross over the line. It is understood that being a fast bowler himself, Junaid’s concerns stem from the fact that the bowlers have little to do when the track allows the batter to flourish. His sentiments were palpable in his social media posts.

"Flat pitches, small boundaries, quick outfield. This is called IPL. A target of 278. Credit goes to the wicket. 523 runs in just 40 overs with only 8 wickets fallen. Is this actual cricket or is it stick cricket??," wrote Junaid in his posts on ‘X’.

Here's latest posts of Junaid Khan on 'X': 

Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma provided SRH momentum to pile up runs

Travis Head started the SRH onslaught as boundaries galore from his bat. He fetched 22 runs from the over of MI’s debutant Kwena Mapahaka. As a result, SRH amassed 81 runs in the powerplay itself. Then Abhishek Sharma joined and he took veteran Piyush Chawla to the cleaners as he hit three sixes in an over. While Head scored 62 off 24, Sharma was dismissed for 63 off 23.

Also Read: IPL 2024: Abhishek Sharma calls Travis Head his favourite batter

MI started well but they could not replicate what SRH batters did in the first innings. They failed to score in the middle overs as Naman Dhir and Tilak Verma were a bit hesitant in their approach compared to the SRH batters. To add salt to their wounds, their newly appointed captain Hardik Pandya batted at a strike rate of 120 when the situation demanded better of him. SRH emerged victorious by 31 runs.