Updated: November 7, 2020 3:43:35 pm
Kane Williamson and Jason Holder in action for SSR (Twitter / IPL)
The battle of the bowlers came down to a tightrope. Sunrisers Hyderabad held their ground to win a cliff hanger because they had two mature heads in the middle, negotiating tough conditions. Royal Challengers Bangalore valiantly tried to defend 131.
But an unbroken 65-run partnership between two international captains, New Zealand’s Kane Williamson and West Indies’ Jason Holder, secured a six-wicket victory for SRH with two balls to spare. Hyderabad moved to Qualifier 2 on Sunday, where they will face Delhi Capitals for a place in the final. RCB is going home, but Virat Kohli and company can be proud of their effort.
Kane, the capable
In the context of the game, the 17th during the SRH chase was crucial. Yuzvendra Chahal and Adam Zampa, the two top-line RCB spinners who allowed 36 runs in their eight overs for two wickets, finished the game and Kohli had to choose between Washington Sundar, Moeen Ali and Shivam Dube. RCB’s patron chose a medium pace and Dube generally kept it tight, only giving away a limit to the fifth ball of his single over.
Williamson, a class act, was clinically close to the goal of victory. He played the twist duet, keeping his cool even towards the end and aiming for a limit above as the order rate hovered around nine. He picked holes with precision to remain undefeated on 50 of 44 balls.
Highlight:
There was a heart-pounding moment for Sunrisers fans though, when he hit at 37, Williamson threw a full pitch from Navdeep Saini toward the deep leg limit. Devdutt Padikkal made a fantastic attempt but his feet got stuck in the grass and instead of throwing the ball up close to the rope he threw it forward. Williamson survived. Fortune favored the greats.
Things started to get tough for SRH, when David Warner was caught behind Mohammed Siraj in a remission. The outfield referee had denied the appeal, but the TV referee relied on an increase in Ultra Edge even though the replays were inconclusive. Manish Pandey couldn’t build on a good start, but SRH had Williamson, and also Holder, who hit four in a row in the final to seal the deal.
Holder dominates
RCB brought back Aaron Finch for Josh Philippe, one of four trades, for the Eliminator, but Virat Kohli opened the innings with Devdutt Padikkal. The RCB captain showed intent by taking the first shot and moving forward to negotiate Sandeep Sharma’s swing.
Innings Break!
A classic #SRH bowling display restricts #RCB to a total of 131/7 in the #Eliminator from # Dream11IPL
Dashboard: https://t.co/XBVtuAjJpn pic.twitter.com/38DjaXGPJN
– IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) November 6, 2020
The Abu Dhabi field had a bit of grass and the top surface looked pretty tough, which helped 6-foot-7-inch Jason Holder extract the rebound. Kohli was destroyed for that; a good length ball that rose inward and lowered the glove down the side of the leg onto Shreevats Goswami behind the stumps. It was a good start for Goswami, replacing the injured Wriddhiman Saha and even better for SRH and Holder.
The ball did not reach the bat and SRH pitchers launched a plan: not offer space to hitters. Padikkal got frustrated, he chose the wrong ball to play a pull and Priyam Garg took it very well in the middle of the short field. Once again, Holder had bounced the ball a bit more and the southpaw was not in position to take the shot. Holder set the tone for the rest of SRH’s bowling to follow.
As the game progressed, the pitch began to rise and fall as well, although it did not offer any twists. Experienced Shahbaz Nadeem and Rashid Khan played field to field to keep Finch and AB de Villiers in check. RCB ended the Powerplay on 2/32. Nadeem had a jump in his stride as he seemed to be enjoying teasing Finch.
The Australian has been all over the place at this IPL. Sometimes it stayed deep in the crease and sometimes well out of it. Meanwhile, he has struggled to find the right rhythm. Finch was trying to make room, Nadeem following him by the side of the legs. Then he cleverly tossed one a little off the stump. Finch’s trigger movement had already taken him off the leg. He reached out to clear the deep cover limit, but hit Abdul Samad squarely – excellent cricket with the left arm roulette wheel.
Under pressure, RCB even gave away a wicket with a free kick. Nadeem had thrown a no-ball but came back well to shoot a yorker for the free throw. Moeen Ali hit Rashid hard for more protection and ran. A direct hit sent him away for a golden duck.
From that moment on, RCB depended on De Villiers. Conditions were tough enough to hamper even the great man’s natural game. He struggled to time the ball correctly, but still made a 56 of 43 balls. De Villiers had to take the game deep, but when it came time to ditch the kitchen sink, T Natarajan threw him a yorker he can be proud of.
All RCB innings had 10 fours and a six, which spoke volumes for SRH’s bowling discipline.
Brief scores: RCB 131/7 in 20 overs (AB de Villiers 56, A Finch 32; J Holder 3/25, T Natarajan 2/33) lost to SRH 132/4 in 19.4 overs (K Williamson 50 *, J Holder 24 * , M Pandey 24; M Siraj 2/28) by six windows
Qualifier 2: Delhi Capitals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Sunday, 7.30 pm
© The Indian Express (P) Ltd
.
