Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) outclassed Delhi Daredevils (DD) at the Feroz Shah Kotla in match 42 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Thursday. Sunrisers’ duo Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson completed the highest run chase of all time for SRH, as they chased down Delhi’s 187 runs in 18.5 overs.
After a whirlwind knock by Rishabh Pant, the SRH run chase got off to an ominous start, losing opener Alex Hales in just the second over. However, skipper Williamson stepped out next to bat and partnered well with Dhawan, as together they orchestrated the highest partnership of the season taking SRH to a comfortable nine wicket victory. Williamson (83* off 53 balls) and Dhawan (92* off 50 balls) strung together 176 runs off just 102 balls helping their team become the first squad this year to seal a spot in the playoffs. The loss spells the end of Delhi’s hopes of making the playoffs this season.
Find the full match scorecard here.
Earlier in the day, Delhi won the toss and Shreyas Iyer chose to bat first. Shakib Al Hasan landed a heavy double blow as he dismissed Prithvi Shaw and Jason Roy off consecutive deliveries in just the fourth over. Rishabh Pant then did SRH a favor by running out his skipper Iyer in the eight over and Harshal Patel in the 14th. Pant who was visibly furious with himself, then took charge of proceedings, restricting his strike partner Glenn Maxwell to a mere spectator as he tore into the best bowling attack of the IPL. He remained unbeaten on 128 off just 63 balls, the highest individual score of IPL 2018, taking his team’s total to 187.
Catch all the highlights from the game here.
Turning point
After Hales’ early exit, Williamson partnered up with Dhawan to stitch together the highest partnership of the season (176* off 102 balls) and take the game away from Delhi. Both Williamson and Dhawan remained unbeaten on the night as they ensured none of the other SRH batsmen had any role to play in their team’s highest run chase of all time.
Best Dismissal
The best dismissal of the game came via a peach of a delivery by Shakib Al Hasan. After dismissing Shaw he sent down a delightful delivery to the right hander Jason Roy who looked set to defend it. However, the ball turned away evading the bat, but not before picking up an edge and sailing into the gloves of the keeper.
Batsman of the Match
Rishabh Pant’s fantastic innings makes him the top candidate for tonight’s ‘Batsman of the Match’. He more than made up for running out two of his teammates with a whirlwind knock of 128* coming at a strike rate of 203.17. He reserved special treatment for Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the very last over, ending the innings with back-to-back four’s and three consecutive sixes.
Bowler of the Match
Shakib Al Hasan who ended the night with figures of 2/27 and an economy of just 6.75 is our ‘Bowler of the Match’. The highlight of his spell was the back-to-back dismissals of both the Delhi openers in the fourth over of the innings. He first scalped Shaw enticing the batsman into a mistimed shot and then accounted for Roy with an absolutely delightful delivery.
Captain’s views
Kane Williamson (SRH captain): “We wanted to go out and keep playing as a team. And we have been playing on tough surfaces, so it was nice to go out and execute our batting plans. It's always tough chasing here. Pant played a special knock. They had a score above par. Dew played a little part, yes. Wicket was a good surface towards the end. A bit of partnership at the top, which gave us the momentum. We were batting with intent when chasing 180. I think when you are rotating the strike the boundaries start to come. It was nice to get that partnership. Shikhar was outstanding; certainly put them on the back foot.”
Shreyas Iyer (DD captain): “I think it was a brilliant total to get up to where we did. The way Rishabh carried on was extremely commendable. The pitch got better and better. It played a huge role. I think we didn't get that many opportunities. They played really good cricket. I think we didn't deserve to win this. It's going to be really important as a young side to keep togetherness. We will try to win our remaining games and boost morale. These games are a great learning process for playing for India in the future.”
What’s next?
Delhi stay home for their next fixture as they host Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday. Sunrisers travel to Pune to face off against second placed Chennai Super Kings on Sunday.
Points table
Sunrisers extended their lead at the top of the table with their ninth win of the season. They now have 18 points from 11 games. Delhi remain at the bottom with six points. Check out the updated points table here.
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