IPL 10, Match 44, SRH v RPS Review: Rising Pune Supergiant end SRH's unbeaten home run

The 5-match unbeaten run at their fortress at Hyderabad came to an end for Sunrisers Hyderabad. It was the visiting Rising Pune Supergiant that put an end to the dream run of the defending champions at the fortress. Well, truth be told, RPS has made it a habit to break the winning streaks this season. Earlier in the tournament, they had broken the 6-match winning streak of table toppers Mumbai Indians as well.

Coming into the game, some crucial contributions in the middle order combined with a finishing effort from MS Dhoni helped Rising Pune Supergiant post 148/8 on the board in their 20 overs. In the run chase, Sunrisers had a decent start with their skipper David Warner getting a decent 40 to his name. Yuvraj Singh chipped in with a vital knock as well.

Earlier in the game, the home side won the toss and opted to field first. In walked RPS openers Ajinkya Rahane and Rahul Tripathi. They had a horrid start as their in-form batsman Tripathi had to walk back as a result of a runout. Steve Smith and Rahane then put on a brief stand to see RPS getting out of trouble. However, the run flow was still not in their control as they could score only 35 runs in the powerplay.

Rahane was the second to be dismissed as Bipul Sharma got him dismissed on 22. Ben Stokes, the in-form all-rounder, walked in to join Steve Smith at the crease. They added 60 runs to set the base for a late onslaught. However, both departed in quick succession after having got decent starts. Stokes was cleaned up by Rashid Khan with a quicker one on 39 that came off 25 balls with a four and 3 sixes. Smith was dismissed by Siddharth Kaul on 34 that came off 39 balls.

Daniel Christian could add only 4 to the score as Rising Pune Supergiant succumbed to 105/5 in 16 overs. Wickets crumbled in heap and clusters as the innings dwindled. It was a certain MS Dhoni who scored a quick 31 off 21 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes to help RPS post 148 on the board. Siddharth Kaul was the pick of the bowlers for the SRH camp with 4/29 to his name.

In the run chase, David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan started off on a very good note with a steady flow of runs. Ben Stokes provided the first breakthrough for RPS when he bowled Dhawan on 19 off 12 balls in the 5th over. A delivery later, Stokes got another big wicket by dismissing Kane Williamson on 4. The double blow sent the hosts on the backfoot. Yuvraj Singh and Warner then tried to ease the pressure in the middle.

Yuvraj Singh struggled to get his feet going as Warner hit the odd boundary. Warner perished after scoring 40 off 34 balls in the 13th over. What followed was absolute carnage. The RPS bowlers struck back hard as no batsman could get into the double digits thereafter. Barring Yuvraj’s 47 in the batting order, there was nothing much to talk about. It was Jaydev Unadkat’s five-wicket haul which included a hat-trick that derailed the SRH run chase.

Yuvraj’s resistance led to an absolute collapse. It was Unadkat who dismissed him in the 18th over. The SRH finished with 136/9 in their 20 overs to lose by 12 runs. With the win, Rising Pune Supergiant now have 16 points to their name and are almost through to the playoffs.

Brief Scores:

Rising Pune Supergiant 148/8 in 20 overs (Stokes 39, Smith 34, Kaul 4/29, Rashid 1/18)

Sunrisers Hyderabad 136/9 in 20 overs (Yuvraj 47, Warner 40, Unadkat 5/30, Stokes 3/30)

Check full scorecard here.