Bhuvneshwar Kumar kept his cool to clinch a one-run triumph for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Rajasthan Royals in the ongoing IPL 2024 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday.
SRH managed to overcome adversity and secure victory, overcoming a situation where defeat seemed imminent for the hosts. However, Pat Cummins and his team exhibited disciplined bowling, maintaining consistent line and length, ultimately ending their two-match winless streak.
During the 201 match, Bhuvneshwar Kumar took two wickets in the powerplay, giving SRH a strong advantage. Jos Buttler was the initial dismissal with a golden duck, followed by Bhuvneshwar dismissing skipper Sanju Samson with a beautiful in swinging delivery for a three-ball duck.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag formed a formidable partnership of 134 runs, completely shifting the momentum in favour of Rajasthan. The combination of left-handed and right-handed batsmen posed numerous challenges for SRH’s bowling attack. Jaiswal reached his fifty off 30 balls, while Parag stylishly brought up his half-century, executing a reverse-lapped shot to send the ball to the fence off Shahbaz Ahmed in the same over.
Cummins reintroduced Natarajan into the attack, who initiated SRH’s resurgence by dismantling the partnership. Natarajan dismissed Jaiswal for 67 runs off 40 balls. Despite Parag’s valiant effort with 45 runs needed from 26 deliveries, Cummins took charge by bowling himself. Conceding only two runs from his first four balls, Cummins applied pressure on Parag, resulting in a mistimed shot and his departure with a score of 77 runs off 49 balls.
With 42 runs required off 24 deliveries, Rovman Powell initiated a counter-attack by hitting two boundaries off Jansen, reducing the target to 27 runs in 3 overs.
In the 18th over, Hetmyer smashed a colossal six measuring 106 meters off Natarajan to kickstart the over. Nevertheless, the SRH pacer retaliated, claiming Hetmyer’s wicket three balls later.
Needing 20 runs off 12 deliveries, Cummins made an impact immediately by dismissing Dhruv Jurel on the first ball. He showcased his adaptability in the following four deliveries, conceding only one run. Powell then concluded the over by smashing a massive six over deep cover off the last ball, reducing the required runs to 13 for the final over.
In the earlier stages of the match, after electing to bat first, Travis Head contributed with a brisk 58 runs, while Nitish Reddy showcased his batting prowess with an unbeaten 76 off just 42 deliveries. Heinrich Klaasen’s brief but impactful innings, where he raced to 42 not out from just 19 balls, propelled SRH to a formidable total of 201/3.
