The IPL’s rivalry week kicked off with an abundance of thrill, excitement, and competitiveness. Today witnessed SRH facing PBKS at Punjab’s home ground. Despite a sluggish start, SRH fought valiantly, with Nitish Kumar Reddy leading the charge. His resilience proved crucial as Hyderabad clinched a nail-biting victory over Punjab in the final over. The match showcased Reddy’s determination and Hyderabad’s perseverance, ultimately resulting in a well-deserved triumph.
Pat Cummins After The Match:
In a thrilling finish, Sunrisers Hyderabad secured a tense victory over Punjab Kings in the final over. SRH skipper Pat Cummins praised the team’s collective effort, highlighting the bowlers’ resilience and sharp fielding. He commended the batsmen for their strategic approach, stressing the importance of partnerships. Cummins expressed confidence in SRH’s ability to maintain consistency and urged for continued dedication in upcoming matches.
SRH skipper Pat Cummins said, “ Was a great game of cricket, they bowled really well at the start, we did well to get to 180, did pretty well to defend but got pretty close. The beauty of the Impact Player is you feel like you’ve got really deep batting. Always tried to be really positive to take the game on. It was really tough early on, they bowled exceptionally with the new ball. You got to be aggressive. With 150 or 160, you are probably going to lose nine out of ten games anyway. We knew that the new ball was going to be key. We were pretty happy to get to 180.”
He added, “Maybe conditions (on him taking the new ball), didn’t think I was going to do that coming into the game. We saw what happened with the new ball for them. Bhuvi and I started off, tried to take a couple of wickets. Beauty is we’ve got plenty of left-armers, right-armers, so you just try and give them the best chance of success. (On Nitish) He was awesome, fantastic, debuted last week. Straight up to top of the order this week. He was fantastic in the field, bowled three overs. To get us to 180 basically off his own bat was unreal.”
PBKS vs SRH Today’s Innings:
Nitish Reddy’s debut IPL half-century was pivotal in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s resurgence after a rocky start, setting a competitive total of 182/9. His 64 off 37 deliveries helped SRH recover from a precarious 40/3 after the powerplay. In response, Punjab Kings endured a worse fate during their powerplay, losing three wickets for a mere 27 runs. Although Sam Curran and Sikandar Raza’s contributions steadied the ship, PBKS once again found themselves relying heavily on Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma to navigate through adversity.
The duo nearly repeated their heroics for PBKS, forging an unbroken 66-run partnership off just 27 balls. Ashutosh’s blistering 33 off 15 deliveries brought Punjab tantalizingly close to victory. However, a chaotic final over saw Punjab within two runs of their target. Jaydev Unadkat’s three wides and Ashutosh’s near-misses, including being dropped thrice, added to the drama. Despite Ashutosh’s valiant efforts, with Shashank supporting from the other end with his 46 off 25, PBKS fell short by the narrowest of margins. Their resilient stand showcased PBKS’s fighting spirit but couldn’t seal the win against SRH.
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