After the early dismissal of Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan led from the front with his spectacular 91 off 44 balls as the southpaw pocket rocket dazzled under the lights in Hyderabad. Ishan Kishan was dominant from the word go, and he got able support from Heinrich Klaasen with finishing kicks given by Nitish Kumar Reddy and Salil Arora as SRH powered their way to 216/6 in 20 overs. Jofra Archer picked up 2 wickets for RR. But the rest went for runs as RR endured a tough outing with the ball.
Abhishek Sharma falls to the first ball, but Ishan Kishan gives SRH a steady start in the power play
Put into bat first, Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head came out to open for SRH while Jofra Archer had the ball in hand for RR. Archer gave RR the perfect start as Abhishek gave his wicket away for a golden duck on the first ball. Abhishek charged down the track as the bowler bowled it short outside off-stump. Abhishek slashed hard and got the upper cut down to Ravi Bishnoi at deep third man, who made no mistake. Captain Ishan Kishan came out to bat next. He got off the mark with a brace.
Nandre Burger had the ball in hand from the other end. Head broke the shackles as he thrashed the ball over covers for a boundary. Archer continued as Ishan flicked it away towards backward square leg for a boundary. Ishan then took on Archer and swatted it away with a pull over square leg for the maximum. Burger continued as Head got an inside edge past the keeper and away for a lucky boundary.
Ishan then slashed hard, and the ball went sailing over backward point for the maximum. Sandeep Sharma came into the attack next. Ishan took him on and smashed it down the ground over the umpire’s head for the maximum. Tushar Deshpande came to bowl the final over of the powerplay. Kishan played the pick-up shot from the pads as the flick went away to the midwicket fence for a boundary. Head got into the act as he lofted the ball over covers for a boundary as the 50 came up, and of the partnership between the two players.
At the end of the powerplay of 6 overs, SRH were 51/1 with Kishan unbeaten on 35 off 20 balls while Head was with him, unbeaten on 16 off 15 balls.
Travis Head falls, but Ishan Kishan drove SRH forward in the middle overs before falling for 91
Captain Riyan Parag came into the attack post the power play. He got his team the breakthrough as he dismissed Head for 18 off 18 balls with 3 fours to his name. The ball pitched outside the leg stump before straightening. Head went for the big one without going to the pitch of the ball and was holed out at long-on by Ferreira. Heinrich Klaasen came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway.
Ravi Bishnoi came into the attack next. He bowled a decent first over. Sandeep Sharma returned as Ishan broke the shackles by pulling it away hard over midwicket for the maximum. The First Strategic Time Out was taken with SRH at 73/2 in 9 overs. Bishnoi continued after the break as Klaasen broke the shackles now and smoked it straight down the ground for the maximum over long-on. Ishan then got into the act as he got down on one knee and slog swept it over midwicket for the maximum as Ishan got to his fifty in 30 balls. SRH were 89/2 in 10 overs at the halfway stage of the game.
Tushar Deshpande came to bowl now as Ishan got a ball on the pads, as he flicked it away behind square for a boundary towards the deep backward square leg region. Ishan was not done yet as he took on Deshpande by rocking back and pulling it away over Archer at deep midwicket for the maximum. The 100 came up for SRH in 10.3 overs. Ishan got the width on which he stayed deep in the crease and slashed it over backward point for a boundary. Ishan again hit a good length delivery outside the off-stump by reaching out and flaying it over backward point for a boundary as 21 came off the over.
Bishnoi returned as Klaasen went hard down the ground as he clobbered it over long-on for the maximum. Klaasen cut the ball past the backward point and managed to get a triple. Jofra Archer came back into the attack as Klaasen welcomed him back with a drill down the ground over mid-off for a boundary. Ishan then flayed it away over the backward point for a boundary yet again. Ishan showed wrist work again as he whipped the ball down the ground past long-on for a boundary. Ishan again got the short ball outside the off-stump and stood tall to pull it away between deep midwicket and deep square leg for a boundary.
Sandeep came back into the attack. He got the big wicket of Ishan for a magnificent 91 off 44 balls with 8 fours and 6 sixes to his name with a back of the length delivery angling away outside the off-stump. Ishan sat back and went for the pull shot and got a top edge that went straight up in the air. Sandeep ran forward and completed a regulation catch. Nitish Kumar Reddy came out to bat next and got off the mark as well soon.
Nandre Burger returned to bowl the next over. Klaasen got into the act as he stood and delivered by smashing the ball down the ground over wide long-off, where Bishnoi was there, but the ball cleared him for the maximum. SRH reached 154/3 in 15 overs with Klaasen unbeaten on 39 off 23 balls, while Nitish Kumar Reddy was with him unbeaten on 2 off 4 balls. The second and final Strategic Time Out was taken with 5 overs to go and the match in the balance.
Death overs hit powers SRH to 216/6
Tushar Deshpande continued after the break. Nitish Reddy got into the act as he took on the back of the length ball and smashed it over deep midwicket for the maximum. But Deshpande hit back and got rid of the set batter Klaasen for 40 off 26 balls with 1 four and 3 sixes to his name as he hit it straight to the cover fielder, where Parag took the catch. Salil Arora came out to bat and got off the mark as well.
Nandre Burger continued as Arora got a top edge over short fine leg for a boundary. Burger finished his spell. Sandeep Sharma returned as Arora welcomed him with a boundary with the top edge flying to the third man region. Reddy got into the act as he smashed the ball over deep midwicket for the maximum. Reddy went big again and muscled the ball down the ground for the maximum. Reddy smashed another one with a wristy flick over backward square leg fence for the maximum as 24 runs came off the over.
Jofra Archer came to bowl the 19th over. He dismissed Reddy for 28 off 13 balls with 4 sixes to his name as he got the outside edge through to the keeper. Aniket Verma came out to bat next. Arora got into the act as he smashed the ball over long-off for the maximum over Bishnoi as the 200 came up for SRH in 19 overs. Tushar Deshpande came to bowl the final over of the innings.
Aniket Verma came forward and steered the ball through the covers for a boundary. We had a run out as well, with Aniket being run out for 6 off 5 balls with one boundary to his name off a wide ball. Harsh Dubey came out to bat next. Arora hit the last ball of the innings for the maximum with a whack over deep midwicket for the maximum. 14 off the final over as SRH finished with 216/6 in 20 overs. Salil Arora remained unbeaten on 24 off 13 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes to his name, while Harsh Dubey was unbeaten on 0 off 0 balls. 9 extras given by the fielding side.
From RR’s point of view, Jofra Archer was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/37 in 4 overs. Sandeep Sharma finished with 1/52 in 4 overs. Tushar Deshpande finished with 1/55 in 4 overs. Riyan Parag finished with 1/5 in 1 over. Nandre Burger finished with 0/31 in 4 overs. Ravi Bishnoi finished with 0/35 in 3 overs. This meant that RR now needs 217 runs to win the contest.
Who’s Winning, SRH or RR?Â
SRH have got the runs on the board, and 216 will be challenging. Having said that, do SRH have the bowling firepower to stop RR? The two left-handers have to be dismissed as soon as possible for SRH to have a chance. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal will be the key to the chase. The game can go either way, but SRH have runs on the board and have to bowl well. Let’s see what the chase has in store for us.
Also Read:Â SRH vs RR: Unbeaten Royals Meet High-Octane Sunrisers