Sanjay Bangar was left impressed with Salil Arora after the 23-year-old’s unbeaten 10-ball 30, which was pivotal in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s six-wicket win against Mumbai Indians on Wednesday. The result saw SRH stitch together a five-match winning streak, and Bangar praised Arora’s understanding of the situation and game plan.
Chasing 244 runs, SRH needed 32 off the final four overs, but lost Nitish Kumar Reddy (21 off 17 balls) in the second ball of the 17th over. Heinrich Klaasen, who was also unbeaten, was at 59 off 26 balls when Arora arrived at the crease. He straightaway made his ambitions clear with a four, guiding Trent Boult past the diving backward point fielder for a four. Then in the fifth delivery of the next over, he launched Jasprit Bumrah for a six over long-off.
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In the 19th over, he began on strike and top-edged Hardik Pandya for a four past short fine. Then hammered him for a six over wide long-on. The MI skipper responded with a dot, but it wasn’t enough, and was then pulled for a six over midwicket as SRH got to 249/4 in 18.4 overs.
Salil’s knock saw him slam 30* off 10 balls, packed with two fours and three sixes, and also striking at 300.00. Meanwhile, Klaasen was unbeaten at 65* off 30 deliveries, including seven fours and four maximums, and with a strike rate of 216.67.
‘Standout quality’: Sanjay Bangar
Speaking on Star Sports, Bangar dissected Salil’s batting approach. “He stays still, understands the plan, and watches the ball very closely. When he looks to attack, he commits fully to his shots. To execute those shots in a brief 7–8 ball innings is a special skill. It reflects the way players train today, preparing to make an impact in very few deliveries. That’s a standout quality in his batting,” he said.
He is making his IPL debut this season, having been purchased by SRH for ₹1.5 crore. A wicketkeeper-batter, he specialises in the middle order and is a six-hitter. He was Punjab’s highest run-scorer in the 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali, smacking 358 runs at a strike rate of 198.88. In domestic cricket for Punjab, he has made a name for himself as a fearless finisher with an aggressive, power-hitting style. He fits perfectly into the SRH system, complementing their attacking batting template, and it was justified on Wednesday.