IPL: SRH complete stunning heist to beat RR

The Indian Premier League (IPL) was witness to a stunning Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) victory over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Jaipur on Sunday, thanks to vital contributions from Abhishek Sharma (55) and Rahul Tripathi (47).

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Chasing a total of 215 in just 20 overs is no easy task, but especially in this edition of the IPL, teams have chased down totals of 200-plus.

And yet, Sunday was the first time this season that SRH chased down a target in excess of 200. Yes, it was by no means an easy task. Both teams had productive powerplays with the bat, and both teams had the top-order batters producing the runs.

But, where did RR go wrong on Sunday? One costly no-ball from Sandeep Sharma in the very last over of the chase meant that RR had to lose a game which otherwise they supposedly could have won quite comfortably.

By all means, SRH’s win over RR was a complete heist. In fact, a perfect example of it. An all-time IPL classic.

Even Yuzvendra Chahal’s 4/29 could not save RR’s day. In fact, he has been one of the most impressive bowlers this IPL. Chahal went for just three runs in the 18^th over of the chase, and with SRH being five down, pressure was certainly on Aiden Markram and Co.

They were 174/5 after 18 overs, needing 31 off 12 balls. On paper, the target might seem far away, but in realty, especially in a format like T20, it’s not over until it’s over.

In the 19^th over, RR stuck with spin, bringing back Kuldip Yadav for his final over. But, for RR, from being in a defendable position at one stage, things went worse, with Kuldip conceding 24 runs from an over. That was far from acceptable from an RR perspective, and they needed a potential game-changer to defend 17 runs off the final over.

Given his prior experience of having defended 21 runs off the final over against CSK, Sandeep Sharma was given the duty to defend those runs. It was like one of those ‘been there, done that’ moments for Sandeep.

Abdul Samad was on strike to face Sandeep in the first ball of the 20^th over, and he dealt with the RR pacer in valiant fashion.

Sandeep, coming from round the wicket, began with a wide yorker to Abdul Samad, who shuffled to slog over the sightscreen. Obed McCoy had a chance for a catch, but eventually put down the chance, a chance that RR would regret following the match. Abdul Samad collected a couple of runs from that over. The match was far from over.

In the second ball, Sandeep Sharma yet again unleashed a wide yorker. This time, Samad connected it even better, and drilled straight down the ground, over IPL debutant Joe Root, who got a hand on it but could not keep that momentum.

Abul Samad and Jansen kept the scoreboard ticking, and the equation was down to five off one ball. RR, in a precarious in the points team that is already jam-packed with teams like RCB and PBKS, could not avoid any further slip-up. And yet, here they were, in a match where victory was somewhat in sight, but towards the end, nothing was certain.

In the last ball of the match, Sandeep goes full and nearly its another yorker. Samad had holed this one towards long-off, but Sandeep had overstepped. Alas! It was a no-ball. SRH now had a psychological advantage over RR. Four to win from one ball. Abdul Samad the batter. It was yet again an attempted yorker from Sandeep, on the slot, and Sandeep stayed at the crease and launched one over the bowler’s head for maximum.

The game was done and dusted. More importantly, for SRH it was a win that kept them mathematically alive in the competition.

Earlier, Abhishek Sharma (55) and Rahul Tripathi (47) had set the platform for a record chase for SRH. The two had forged a 65-run stand for the second wicket. For SRH, this victory would mean historically relevant, with the chase being their highest-ever in the IPL. And the highest in Jaipur as well.

While there will be celebrations of sorts in the SRH camp, one has got to feel for Chahal (4/29), whose regular strikes could not prevent from avoiding defeat for RR.

After the match, Samson stressed on the harsh reality of T20 cricket.

“Matches like this make IPL special. You can never never feel you have won the game until you have won it. I was confident in Sandeep, but that no-ball… They batted sensibly, and credit has to go to them the way they batted. Life is never easy playing this format in this tournament. You have to be at your best each and every game. We will come back and do it all over again,” said the RR skipper.

RR finish off their IPL league stage with matches against the bottom five teams (vs KKR, RCB and PBKS). Anything can happen in these games, and not just physical, but mental preparation will be needed for RR ahead of the remaining matches as they continue their bid to qualify for the playoffs.

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