Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) emerged victorious against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Qualifier 2, securing their place in the final against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Heinrich Klaasen’s crucial innings with the bat provided SRH with a fighting total of 175 for 9 on a tricky wicket. Their left-arm spinners, Shahbaz Ahmed and Abhishek Sharma, were then instrumental in dismantling the RR batting line-up, effectively choking them on a pitch where new batters typically struggled. This comprehensive 36-run sets up an exciting final against table-topping KKR.
Boult swings it in favour of RR
Trent Boult has been outstanding with the new ball this season, consistently providing early breakthroughs while maintaining a good economy rate. In tonight’s crucial qualifier, Boult delivered yet again for RR by claiming three early wickets, putting SRH on the backfoot and preventing them from playing their natural attacking game. Boult struck in the very first over, dismissing Abhishek with a delivery that had extra bounce, resulting in a catch by Tom Kohler-Cadmore. Rahul Tripathi, who was beginning to counter-attack with some fantastic shots, fell next. He played a false shot off a slower bouncer from Boult, sending the ball straight into the hands of Yuzvendra Chahal at short third man. Boult’s third victim was Aiden Markram, who edged a ripper of a delivery to Chahal in almost exactly the same position. Those three quick wickets left SRH reeling at 57-3, putting RR in a commanding position.
Head and Klaasen bolster SRH
With wickets falling regularly, even an attacking batter like Travis Head had to adjust his game according to the situation. Although Head couldn’t score a big one for his team tonight, his 34 runs were valuable in the tense middle overs, providing SRH with some much-needed momentum. Head was visibly disappointed to get out after a promising start, falling to a well-disguised slower bouncer from Sandeep Sharma, which he misjudged, resulting in a catch for Ravichandran Ashwin. Klaasen then played a crucial innings, a well-compiled 50 off 34 deliveries. Klaasen’s innings was marked by smart running between the wickets rather than only big shots, showcasing his understanding of the game. Despite his efforts, he couldn’t capitalise in the final two overs, as Sandeep bowled a perfect yorker to rattle his stumps.
Avesh stars for RR with the ball
Avesh Khan was on top of his game tonight, delivering an impressive performance that stifled SRH’s momentum. He bowled with good pace and variety, claiming three crucial wickets in the middle overs to hand RR control of the game. Avesh’s dismissal of Nitish Kumar Reddy was particularly special, as he executed his plan perfectly, enticing the batter into playing an uncharacteristic shot. Avesh then dealt a double blow by clean-bowling Abdul Samad with a peach of a delivery off the very next ball. He also prevented Shahbaz Ahmed from giving SRH a strong finish, dismissing him with a well-executed low full toss that was caught in the deep.
SRH spinners spin webs all over RR to secure victory
The SRH spinners made the most of the pitch, causing all sorts of trouble for the RR batters. With smart captaincy and crafty bowling, SRH dominated the first 10 overs. Yashasvi Jaiswal impressed everyone with his brisk 42, but in a high-stakes match like this, it was crucial to push on, which he failed to do, falling to a quicker delivery bowled by Shahbaz Ahmed. Shahbaz had a dream run tonight, taking two more key wickets: the dangerous Riyan Parag, caught in the deep, and Ravichandran Ashwin, with a delivery that gripped and caught the edge, landing right int the gloves of Klaasen. Abhishek partnered with Shahbaz to choke RR, securing the big wickets of Sanju Samson and power-hitter Shimron Hetmyer. Dhruv Jurel fought valiantly till the end for RR, but with the run rate constantly increasing and a lack of support from the other end, it was a bridge too far.
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