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May 25, 2024
Shahbaz Ahmed added 18 runs with the bat and picked up a three-wicket haul while bowling in the middle overs.
Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins revealed that head coach Daniel Vettori’s idea was to introduce Shahbaz Ahmed as the impact substitute. This move turned out to be the game-defining moment of Qualifier 2. In the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Sunrisers have heavily relied on their pace bowling set-up to get them across the finishing line. But on Chepauk, Cummins took everyone by surprise after introducing the spin duo of Ahmed and Abhishek Sharma.
Shahbaz added 18 runs with the bat and picked up a three-wicket haul while bowling in the middle overs. Along with Abhishek Sharma, the left-arm spinner ensured that the IPL final would be a rematch between the Qualifier 1 teams – SRH and Kolkata Knight Riders.
“That was Vettori’s choice, he likes his left-arm orthodox and wanted as many left-arm orthodox as possible,” Cummins said on bringing in Shahbaz as an impact sub, after the game.
Abhishek didn’t have his usual destructive outing with the bat against Rajasthan. He struck 13 before losing his wicket on the final ball of the first over.
He made amends by delivering with the ball and picking up wickets for the in-form duo of Shimron Hetmyer and skipper Sanju Samson.
“That was a surprise, tried to stick one out of him (Abhishek) with a couple of right-handers and he bowled beautifully and those two won it with their bowling in the middle overs. We knew our strength was our batting and we wouldn’t underestimate the experience we have in this squad, it’s a dream having Bhuvi, Nattu and Unadkat, makes my job easy,” Cummins added.
The left-arm spin duo combined to pick five wickets in their eight-over spell while giving away 47 runs at an economy of 5.87.
After sealing a spot in the final, Cummins stated that 170 would be a tricky chase and opened up about the atmosphere in the dressing room.
“The boys have been fantastic all season. There’s a great vibe in the squad as you can see and the final was the goal at the start of the season and we made it. 170 was a tough chase and had we got a couple of wickets we knew we had a chance,” Cummins stated.
Recapping the match, after winning the toss, Samson decided to bowl. Heinrich Klaasen’s 50-run blitz helped Sunrisers post 175/9 on the board.
In reply, the spin duo didn’t allow Rajasthan to stay close to the asking rate. The pacers did their job and kept the batters at bay. Rajasthan succumbed to 139/7 and suffered a 36-run defeat.
Sunrisers will face Kolkata Knight Riders at Chepauk on Sunday at the final of the ongoing edition.
Chasing a target of 176, the Royals were restricted to 139 for 7, ensuring SRH’s third IPL final after 2016 and 2018.
Rajasthan Royals’ talented young pretenders miserably failed in a ‘Slow Track Test’ as Sunrisers Hyderabad’s unfancied spin twins Abhishek Sharma and Shahbaz Ahmed spun a web to set up a 36-run win in the Qualifier 2 and an IPL summit date with Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai on Friday. The title clash will be played in Chennai on Sunday. Chasing a target of 176, the Royals were restricted to 139 for 7, ensuring a third IPL final for SRH after 2016 and 2018.
On a slow track that offered significant turn and grip as the evening progressed. No dew to help batters, Abhishek (2/24 in 4 overs) and Shahbaz (3/23 in 4 overs) forced the Yashasvi Jaiswals, Sanju Samsons, and Riyan Parags to press the unwanted ‘Harakiri button’ in 15 minutes of pure brain fade that ended their hopes of a third final.
Their combined figures of 5 for 47 in 8 overs completely overshadowed the celebrated duo of Ravichandran Ashwin (0/43 in 4 overs) and Yuzvendra Chahal (0/34 in 4 overs), who gave away 77 runs in their quota of overs.
That difference eventually became the difference between the two sides.
From a comfortable 65 for 1 in 7.4 overs, it suddenly became 79 for 5 by the end of the 12th.
Abhishek, who had bowled only three overs in 15 games before that night, suddenly got the ball to dip and turn. At the same time, Shahbaz’s deliveries gripped, and one such saw the back of Samson, who waited for an eternity to pull over the cow corner.
Jaiswal and Parag also couldn’t simply get the distance as the ball stopped on them.
The humidity was around 80 percent, so the absence of dew only worsened matters.
Dhruv Jurel (56 not out off 35 balls) tried his bit but saved Jaiswal (42 off 21 balls), and all others flattered to deceive.
It must be mentioned that the highly rated Samson again failed to score on days when it mattered. Samson’s failures on big days have been his biggest undoing, and the Royals expected a much better effort from their skipper.
It was imperative after Sandeep Sharma, the master operator on tacky surfaces, put his skill sets to optimum use while restricting Hyderabad to a decent yet manageable 175 for 9.
The Royals’ bowling could be divided into three distinct parts despite Heinrich Klaasen’s half-century (50, 34b), which had four maximums.
Trent Boult (3/45) started the slide in the Powerplays, Sandeep choked the ‘Orange Army’ batters in the middle overs, while Avesh Khan 2.0 was as menacing at the death (3/27) as he has been throughout the tournament.
But the canny Sandeep (2/25 in 4 overs) took pace off his deliveries as Sunrisers batters were literally ‘Short Third-Manned’ with four batters failing to clear the fielder stationed at the edge of the 30-yard circle.
Chahal, who handled the slot took three catches, while Ashwin got one in the same position.
The problem SRH batters, including the in-form Travis Head (34 off 28 balls), faced was the surface’s lack of pace, which became a hindrance while using it for traditional T20 ramp scoops.
Abhishek (12), at the start, became indiscreet when he played one shot too many off Boult and was holed out.
The ploy to use Ashwin (0/43 in 4 overs) with the new ball because of his familiarity with Chepauk didn’t work. Rahul Tripathi (37 off 15 balls) hit the senior off-spinner out of the attack.
Just when it seemed that he was taking control on a day when Head wasn’t getting his timing right, his poor shot selection while trying to hit Boult over short third became his undoing.
Aiden Markram’s re-entry into the playing XI didn’t pay dividends, as he was out slashing at short third man. However, with Klaasen for company, SRH clawed back at 99 for 3 when Head paid for his profligacy, with Sandeep rolling his fingers over.
Klaasen understood that the ball wasn’t coming onto the bat and only went for the jugular to the deliveries in his arc as he got one of his better half-centuries under challenging conditions before a slower delivery on the blockhole rattled the furniture.
With Klaasen’s departure, the chances of getting past 200 also went through the window.
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Katarzyna Nowak is a seasoned writer with over five years of experience in editorial content, news reporting, and cricket sportsbook app reviews. As an author for Top Cricket News, she combines her deep understanding of the sports betting industry with a passion for cricket, delivering insightful and accurate content that keeps readers informed and engaged.
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