The stunning display of cricket by Rashid Khan in all the departments of the game saw Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) thump Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 14 runs – to seal a spot in the finals of the tourney. As a result, it is going to be yet another nerve-cracking game between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at historic, Wankhede Stadium.
Sunrisers Hyderabad – Rashid Khan’s brilliance outsmarts KKR’s hard work:
Initially, it was Dinesh Karthik, who won the toss and asked visiting side to bat first. Accepting the challenge, Shikhar Dhawan and Wriddhiman Saha started the things in a flash by knocking the boundaries whenever the bad ball on the offer.
However, it was once again Kuldeep Yadav, who brought KKR back in the game by rattling the wickets of Shikhar Dhawan and in-form Kane Williamson in a span of four balls.
Saha and Shakib tried to settle down the things but while doing so run-rate has been down dramatically.
The bizarre run out saw Shakib Al Hasan walk back while Saha could not convert his decent start.
Unfortunately, Carlos Braithwaite misjudged a run while Yusuf Pathan walked back for a cheap score. However, it was Rashid Khan, who smashed the ball beautifully – to hand a competitive total of 174 runs on the board for SRH.
Kolkata Knight Riders – Lynn and Narine started well but SRH pulls it back:
In reply to the chase, KKR got the dream start when Lynn and Narine smashed SRH new ball bowlers to the boundary fence often than not.
Though Kaul called curtains on Narine, Lynn and Nitish Rana kept SRH bowlers at bay keep the run-rate more than handy for KKR.
Just when things looked like drifting away, Rashid bullet throw gave the much-needed breakthrough for the team to build on pressure.
Riding on it, Rashid, who sent Uthappa cheaply while Shakib outsmarted Dinesh Karthik when it mattered the most for the team.
Then comes Rashid, who ran a riot with his fantastic display of bowling by sending Chris Lynn, Russell in the back to back overs only to see KKR losing their grip on the game.
Shubman Gill and Kuldeep Yadav kept the opposition at bay but it was just a matter of time for Sunrisers Hyderabad to head into finals.
Brief Scores:
SRH – 174/7; Saha (35), Rashid Khan (34); Kuldeep Yadav 2/19
KKR – 160/9; Lynn (48), Rashid Khan (3/19), Carlos Brathwaite (2/15)