Key points:
- Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) could still exit IPL13.
- In the first six, Warner and Saha added 77, making it the best IPL13 power play.
- It was Saha’s first half-century since before the unbeaten 93 versus Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2017.
- Rabada went wicket-less after 25 IPL games and leaked 54.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) could still exit IPL13, but on the day David Warner turned 34, that wouldn’t be. The house-of-cards act, on Saturday, where SRH lose seven wickets for 14 runs, thought the game on Tuesday was a must-win. With one tactic, SRH tackled it: Strike.
It was hoped that Warner would adopt the Iron Man mantra from the franchise film Avengers. Perhaps it was not that Wriddhiman Saha would outscore him.
The best powerplay in IPL 13:
In the first six, Warner and Saha added 77, making it the best IPL13 power play. This was a fifth gear batting from Anrich Nortje’s fifth ball in the innings, which Saha pulled for four.
A lemon cut was bowled by Kagiso Rabada in the next over, but then the next ball was flicked for four. Saha was in cruise control after playing his first match, and also because SRH wanted to shift team dynamics by removing Jonny Bairstow and keeping Jason Holder.
Shah the Man of the match for SRH:
The brunt of his 87 (45b; 4×12; 6×2) brought from the on-side because the sweep, pick-up and pull were in Saha’s control.
But after Saha gave Ravichandran Ashwin the charge, there was also a boundary over mid-off; a square-drive off Tushar Deshpande that rocketed to the fence giving no chance to the point fielder on the circle and third man on the boundary, a punch to the cover boundary, a cheeky steered four and sending Nortje over mid-off that sparkled.
It was Saha’s first half-century since before the unbeaten 93 versus Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2017, but that’s also because SRH has since sporadically used the guy who scored a century in the 2014 IPL final.
Ahead of the Australian tour where Saha is in the Test squad, if there was one question for India, it is that he had an injury while batting, and Shreevats Goswami kept the wicket.
Warner played his role:
His peak of the season was Warner’s 66 (34b; 4×8; 6×2). With three fours on the off-side, a six over long-on, and a boundary at mid-on, he took 22 off a Kagiso Rabada over.
Two catches and a good analysis which dismissed Rishabh Pant ended with the SRH skipper.
Rabada went wicket-less after 25 IPL games and leaked 54.
DC’s renowned bowling attack had lost rhythm and more by the time the power play was over, and SRH completed 100/0 in 8.4 overs. Such was the aggression by the openers that they hit 219/2 even though SRH scored 44 in the last five.
DC showed intent for Marcus Stoinis:
DC showed intent to promote Marcus Stoinis but was never in the hunt because, after losing early wickets, they dropped to the wiles of Rashid Khan (3/7).
By 88 runs, DC’s third straight defeat messed up their net run rate and they are now facing the daunting task of reviving the campaign with games remaining only against MI and Royal Challengers Bangalore, both in the standings above them.
