The 36th match of IPL 2018 witnessed Sunrisers Hyderabad hosting Delhi Daredevils at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. Both teams were fighting for a victory as SRH would go to the top of the points table while DD would keep their hopes alive for qualification for the playoffs.
The match turned out to be a thriller and the capacity crowd got their money’s worth. Batting first after winning the toss, DD scored 163/5. The pitch was slow and hence the chase was a tough one for SRH but at the end, the hosts managed to get past the line off the penultimate ball to reclaim the top spot.
Here are the 5 takeaways from the game
#1 Prithvi Shaw’s eye-catching knock
The fascinating thing about Delhi Daredevils’ games has always been the young Indian batsmen on the show. This year it’s Prithvi Shaw that has grabbed all the eyeballs. The skipper of India’s triumphant team in the Under-19 World Cup this year, has been rated very highly due to his scintillating technique.
Shaw has shown great form this year in IPL and it only got better against SRH. The opener scored 65 from 36 balls that included 6 fours and 3 sixes. He was timing the ball nonchalantly on a surface that posed difficulty to every other batsman. He provided a wonderful start and due to his efforts, the score had raced off to 95 after 10 overs.
#2 Rashid Khan’s ever-reliable spin
DD had raced off to 95 after 10 overs and they threatened to score big. But Rashid Khan came to the fore and bowled the decisive spell in the innings. The leggie first accounted for the wicket of the dangerous-looking Shaw in the 11th over and then sent back another dangerman in the form of Rishabh Pant for 18 in the 17th over.
The pitch was slow and tailor-made for a bowler like Rashid. He made full use of the assisting conditions and inflicted a remarkable comeback for SRH. Where, at one stage, DD looked set to achieve close to 180, ended up at a mediocre 163/5 after 20 overs.
#3 Alex Hales set the plot
The DD innings had shown that run making became difficult after the ball became slightly older. So it was important for SRH to take full advantage of the fielding restrictions when the ball was new. Alex Hales took the onus and went after bowling from the outset.
He got going by striking 2 boundaries to Avesh Khan in the second over and then smacked 3 sixes to the same bowler in the last over of the powerplay. Due to his power hitting, SRH reached 61/0 after 6 overs. He got out after scoring 45 off 31 balls in the 9th over but those runs held their weights worth in gold.
#4 Amit Mishra’s impressive spell
Just like Rashid Khan for SRH, Amit Mishra was going to be the most crucial bowler for DD. The deck was offering plenty of turn and the leg-spinner bowled one of the finest of his spells in the IPL. SRH had taken off to 76 without loss in the 9th over but Mishra applied the breaks by striking twice in quick succession.
First, he dismissed Hales with a peach of a delivery. The ball dipped onto the batsman, pitched down the leg side and spun a mile to take the off stump as the batsman was completely squared up. Next, he castled Shikhar Dhawan for 33 with a googly. He proved to be the most effective bowler for DD and ended with tremendous figures of 19/2 from 4 overs.
#5 Yusuf Pathan’s flare took SRH home
The match had come down to a point where the visitors were the favorites. The batsmen were finding it hard to score and SRH required 32 from the last 3 overs on a sluggish pitch. Manish Pandey got out after scoring 21 which brought Yusuf Pathan to the crease. He was dropped off the second ball he faced by Vijay Shankar.
Pathan made sure he punished DD for the mistake and smashed a six and a four to Trent Boult in the penultimate over when 28 runs were required from the last 2. It came down to 14 from the last over and the right-hander struck another six and a four to Daniel Christian in the final over to seal the game for SRH. He remained unbeaten at 27 from 12 balls and played the decisive knock.
Match Summary
Delhi Daredevils won the toss and opted to bat first
Delhi Daredevils: 163/5 in 20 overs
Prithvi Shaw 65 (36), Shreyas Iyer 44 (36)
Rashid Khan 23/2 (4), Siddharth Kaul 37/1 (4)
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 164/3 in 19.5 overs
Alex Hales 45 (31), Shikhar Dhawan 33 (30)
Amit Mishra 19/2 (4), Liam Plunkett 27/1 (4)
Sunrisers Hyderabad won by 7 wickets
Player of the Match: Rashid Khan
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