Key points:
- In IPL13, Saha one less, Nadeem played five matches but helped limit Mumbai Indians (MI) at 149/8.
- Forgoing wide to Yadav and using the slowness of the wicket to get Pandya to play early.
- Holder has taken ten wickets in five matches and hit a 10-ball 26 in the win against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
- Indicating MI could have earned 15 more if Pollard had survived.
- In 2016, about the only time SRH won by ten wickets was, and it happened in a season that the IPL won.
If the choices of those who will be crucial to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) making the play-offs were Shahbaz Nadeem and Wriddhiman Saha, crystal shining would be your thing.
In IPL13, Saha one less, Nadeem played five matches, but helped limit Mumbai Indians (MI) at 149/8; a target SRH sailed to 17.1 overs without missing a wicket to push Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) from the top four mostly on net run rate.
Not a good day for MI:
MI slipped to 81/4 from 81/2 when Nadeem declined Surya Kumar Yadav and Krunal Pandya in four of its 12th deliveries. Before Pandya got caught by Kane Williamson with such an effort that proved that Kiwis could fly, the first required a smart stump from Saha.
Forgoing wide to Yadav and using the slowness of the wicket to get Pandya to play early, Nadeem deserved praise. When Saha took a smart catch when Rashid Khan dismissed Saurabh Tiwary, MI was 82/5 after 12.1.
Holder a Balance for SRH:
Jason Holder also contributed to showing how critical SRH irregularities were for them to win four of their last five games and erase Kings XI Punjab’s after-effects of that poor loss.
Holder has taken ten wickets in five matches and hit a 10-ball 26 in the win against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), a substitute injury to Mitchell Marsh. Used at Jonny Bairstow’s expense, the presence of Holder has made SRH look quite balanced.
Pollard stabled the MI innings:
In Sharjah on Tuesday, after being swung for a six, Holder dismissed Kieron Pollard in the last over. Pollard had smacked Thangarasu Natarajan for three sixes in the 19th over, indicating MI could have earned 15 more if Pollard had survived.
Boult and Bumrah on rest:
Not that, considering how Saha (58; 4×7; 6×1) and David Warner (85; 4×10; 6×1) batted as dew set in, it would have mattered. MI rested Trent Boult, and Jaspreet Bumrah and SRH proved their openers were adequate as conditions became difficult for bowling.
Dhawal Kulkarni first IPL 13 match:
Saha struck Nathan Coulter-Nile over mid-off for a six and followed it up over mid-on with a lofted boundary.
Batting within Bairstow-Warner style, in the next over, Saha hit two more fours, bowled by Dhawal Kulkarni during his first IPL13 match.
With two cuts and a pull in the fourth over, Warner joined in, hitting James Pattinson for three fours and SRH really never looked back.
First time after 2016 SRH won by ten wickets:
MI skipper Rohit Sharma, hurt and out for four games, returned but survived seven balls before becoming the first target of Sandeep Sharma.
Sandeep Sharma got two further wickets off wide full tosses, having inside edges bowled off by Quinton de Kock and Ishan Kishan.
It was a night of that kind for SRH. In 2016, about the only time SRH won by ten wickets was, and it happened in a season that the IPL won.
