Tata IPL 2024 Match 23, PBKS Vs SRH – Match Report

April 10, 2024

Nitish Kumar Reddy’s impressive counter-attacking innings of 64 runs off 37 deliveries played a pivotal role in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) thrilling victory over Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur. Despite a late scare, SRH managed to secure the win.

Reddy played a crucial role in SRH’s recovery from a precarious position of 39/3. He combined with Abdul Samad for a rapid 50-run partnership off just 20 balls, propelling SRH to a competitive total of 182/9. Despite a late surge from Shashank Singh (46* off 25) and Ashutosh Sharma (33* off 15), SRH’s Jaydev Unadkat maintained composure and successfully defended 29 runs in the final over.

In their defense of 183 runs, SRH made an excellent start by taking three wickets during the Powerplay. The opening breakthrough came from Captain Pat Cummins, who bowled Jonny Bairstow in the second over. Bhuvneshwar Kumar followed up with two quick dismissals, removing Prabhsimran Singh and PBKS captain Shikhar Dhawan, the latter via a fantastic stumping by Heinrich Klaasen standing up to the stumps. This strong bowling effort left PBKS struggling at 27/3 during the Powerplay.

Sikandar Raza and Sam Curran formed a partnership of 38 runs, stabilizing the innings for the hosts. However, their momentum was disrupted when Curran (29 off 22) was dismissed at a critical moment, with Pat Cummins taking an exceptional running catch at mid-off off T Natarajan’s bowling.

Raza and Shashank Singh initiated another recovery phase with a 33-run partnership. However, SRH quickly ended this alliance as Jaydev Unadkat took a wicket right after the time-out, dismissing Raza (28 off 22).

SRH continued to take wickets consistently as the required run rate increased steadily. When 67 runs were needed from 24 balls, Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma played aggressively, scoring seven boundaries in the next three overs. This reduced the required runs to 29 off the final six balls.

The thrilling final over had a series of events. Ashutosh Singh hit the first ball from Jaydev Unadkat towards deep mid-wicket, where Nitish attempted a catch but ended up parrying the ball over the boundary as he jumped. Unadkat then bowled two wides on the following deliveries, making it eight runs off the first legal delivery. Ashutosh capitalized by hitting the next ball to long off, where Samad missed a catch, resulting in a six. The next delivery, a slower bouncer, was pulled by Ashutosh for a quick two runs towards deep mid-wicket, reducing the target to 13 runs needed off 3 balls. Another slower bouncer followed, and Ashutosh managed to get a couple more runs towards deep mid-wicket.

Requiring 11 runs from 2 balls, Unadkat delivered another wide. On the following ball, Ashutosh attempted a big shot to deep square leg, resulting in a dropped catch by Rahul Tripathi. This left PBKS needing 9 runs from the final delivery. Shashank then struck a powerful shot over long off, but it wasn’t enough as PBKS narrowly missed the target by two runs.

In the initial stage of the match, Punjab Kings’ captain Shikhar Dhawan won the toss and chose to field first.

The home team made a strong start by taking the wickets of Travis Head, Aiden Markram, and Abhishek Sharma during the Powerplay.

The match started with excitement as Travis Head survived a close call when he was not given out despite an appeal for a caught behind off the first ball bowled by Rabada. Punjab Kings (PBKS) decided against reviewing the decision initially. However, replays later revealed an edge as the ball grazed the bat. Rabada bowled an impressive first over to Head, creating several close moments. In the following over, Head took on Rabada, scoring three fours, including one off an inside edge, accumulating 16 runs from the over. Abhishek Sharma also had a lucky escape from a run-out chance. However, Head’s luck ran out in the next over when he mistimed a lofted shot off Arshdeep, leading to a fantastic catch by Shikhar Dhawan as he ran backward.

Arshdeep claimed another wicket in the same over by getting Aiden Markram caught behind. Abhishek Sharma then took on Sam Curran, scoring a six and a four in the following over. However, Curran responded strongly by dismissing Sharma on the very next delivery, bringing SRH’s score down to 39/3 after five overs.

SRH made a strategic move by sending Rahul Tripathi in as their Impact Player, replacing Head. Tripathi, partnering with Nitish Kumar Reddy, added a stabilizing 25-run partnership, although finding boundaries proved challenging. The pressure mounted, leading to another wicket for SRH before the halfway point when Harshal Patel successfully dismissed Tripathi caught behind, thanks to an effective review.

Reddy alleviated the pressure by hitting a couple of fours and a six off Harpreet Brar. He followed up with sixes off Rabada and Curran, taking SRH’s score to 100 in the 13th over. Just as SRH seemed to be gaining momentum, Harshal Patel made a crucial breakthrough by dismissing Heinrich Klaasen caught at long off. Abdul Samad joined in with two excellent boundaries. Nitish continued his aggressive approach, reaching his fifty with a boundary and a six off Brar. However, he got a lifeline when Shashank Singh dropped a tough chance. Nitish capitalized on this by hitting a six off the next ball, adding 22 runs to the over.

The duo achieved a 50-run partnership in just 19 balls. However, shortly after, both batsmen were dismissed as Arshdeep claimed two wickets in the 17th over. Nitish contributed with a superb counter-attacking innings of 64 runs off 37 deliveries, including four fours and five sixes. Meanwhile, Samad played a quick innings, scoring 25 runs off just 12 balls with five boundaries.

PBKS made a strong comeback in the final overs, taking 4 wickets for 36 runs in the last four overs as SRH ended their innings on 182/9.

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