Hyderabad sunrises 132 times 4 (Williamson 50 *, Holder 24 *) time Royal Challengers Bangalore 131 by 7 (de Villiers 56, Finch 32, Holder 3-25, Natarajan 2-33) by six wickets
Two test captains watched the nervous Sunrisers Hyderabad chase 132 through, and their shirts and hair had sweat to show for it. Taken to the side after they failed to chase 127 against the Punjab Kings XI, Kane Williamson and Jason Holder absorbed all the pressure from the spinners on a spinning pitch, they saw the order rate of eight when they came together to push 10, but they finished the game in a calculated fashion with two balls to go. This was the Sunrisers’ fourth straight win in a must-play game, and the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s fifth straight loss after an excellent start to the season. The Sunrisers organized a virtual semi-final with the Delhi Capitals for the right to face the Mumbai Indians in the final.
Having successfully recovered from injuries suffered during the season by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mitchell Marsh and Vijay Shankar, the Sunrisers now missed the man significantly responsible for their return, Wriddhiman Saha. The Royal Challengers had to deal with the absence of their talisman Chris Morris, with a quadriceps injury. They made wholesale changes, kicking two legs and also adding Moeen Ali and Aaron Finch.
On a field that offered stitching and spinning, players on both sides were at the top of their games. Ultimately, only AB de Villiers and Williamson beat the conditions, and they had to score their runs safely because they had no hitting coverage behind them.
If Sandeep doesn’t understand you, Jason will.
Sandeep Sharma entered the game with nine wickets in this IPL powerplay, and Jason Holder none. Opening this IPL for the first time, maybe he wanted to give it a try sooner, but his team failed to seal the playoff spot before their last game, Virat Kohli was vigilant in the first over, willing not to fall to Sharma for the eighth time. Holder, however, got a glove from him on the side of the leg with his extra bounce. He then squeezed Devdutt Padikkal on the pull, making it a third Padikkal firing to a short ball in this IPL. Padikkal has scored just 46 of 50 of those balls.
AB plays himself, others play themselves
Already in the fourth goal, de Villiers had no choice but to avoid any risk. He would go 20 balls before hitting his first limit and reaching a one-ball run. It was imperative that Finch take the pressure off, but life on the field was a struggle for him. He struggled to adapt to the rhythm of the surface and was stifled by the precision of the Sunrisers bowlers. The first 10 overs featured just four limits, the fewest combined in the tournament, all from Finch.
Just when it looked like he might be turning a corner with a big six in front of Rashid Khan, Finch ducked for cover with Shahbaz Nadeem defeating him with a wide as he backed off early. Ali came out with a red carpet of a free hit unfolded for him but patted him for more cover and ran off thanks to a direct hit from Khan. The Royal Challengers were 62 of 4 in 10.4 overs.
Looms for AB masterclass
Between the Sunrises and an easy chase was the genius of De Villiers. Having scored 20 of 22 so far, with a marked cap, De Villiers was entering the inning genius phase. Without taking chances, he couldn’t afford it, de Villiers managed to score 36 of the next 21 balls he faced. However, the Sunrisers were excellent against the others, Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar, throwing 19 balls without limits. The Royal Challengers were 111 of 5 in 17 overs.
Natarajan’s master class
There was still time for de Villiers to do harm. Teams know that he can still win games even from here, especially when he has more than 40 balls in one inning. T Natarajan then had an unenviable task to throw the 18th and 20th overs. He has had an unenviable task all season, throwing the really difficult overs for his team. He made the playoffs with 14 wickets to his name, 10 in the death overs. At 18 he did it at 12. Sundar was the rule, timing a chip too well and getting caught in deep cover.
The next was one for all ages. A cross stitch yorker, dipping and hitting the master and ripping the stump from the middle of the ground. This only brought the total down with just 20 runs in the last three.
Warner is expelled
Mohammed Siraj eliminated Saha’s replacement, Shreevats Goswami, in the first over, but David Warner and Manish Pandey staged a comeback after playing the ball themselves. Pandey broke free first, and in the final power play, Warner also cut Siraj by two limits. He then survived an appeal for caught behind. Or so he thought. The Royal Challengers took the matter upstairs. Replays showed that this delivery passed the bat and the pad at the same time, and there was a spike in UltraEdge. In a decision intended to cause controversy, the third referee found it conclusive enough to overturn the decision on the field. The Sunrisers 43 for 2 in 5.4 overs.
Rotary choke is on
That Warner wicket was huge not just because of the Sunrisers ‘midfield woes, but also because of the Royal Challengers’ attacking composition. Warner feasts on the leg roll – he’s averaging 61 and going 9.1 an envelope against the leg roll. Now they could unleash both their legs to the right-handed hitters. Pandey soon fell to the pressure created. Fourteen leg bowls for seven runs later, he played an ambitious late cut and a spike shot to De Villiers. Priyam Garg faced 14 leg-spinning balls over seven runs himself. Then he tried to climb over the deck, but hit the Boundary Rider. Six overs, 20 runs, two terrains.
Test captains unite
With 64 required from the last eight overs, Williamson and Holder arrived, two of the calmest players in international cricket, two players used to taking their side with them. They continued to choose the singles, without worrying about the increase in the order rate. Kohli eventually had to remove the hairpins. With a required 59 of 38, Williamson tried to hit his first limit, smashing Sundar as he overpitted. That brought him to 19 out of 25.
The hairpins returned. The border drought is back. He returned to 41 of 25. He got off the job sweep again when Chahal got through this time. Williamson reached 32 runs with this. Now Kohli had to keep up. The dew also began to play its role. Navdeep Saini and Siraj took the high-risk Yorker bowling route with a third man and a good leg up. While it provided them with ground cover, a skilled hitter like Williamson kept finding the limits and the two behind the square never to let the order rate go above nine. And Holder then killed him with two fours in the last over. The association of 65 races comprised only two six and five four.
.
