IPL 2018: Match 42, DD vs SRH- Who Said What

The match between the Delhi Daredevils (DD) and the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) panned out to be yet another exciting encounter in the eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Delhi pulled of a competitive score of 187 on the board and had the chance of staying alive in the tournament. However, the Sunrisers batsmen comprehensively won the game by nine wickets.

Pant manhandles SRH bowlers

The pitch didn’t seem to be a batsman’s paradise and hence, Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bat. The decision seemed to backfire as Jason Roy and Prithvi Shaw were dismissed by Shakib Al Hasan, which imparted pressure on them. Iyer soon got himself involved in a mix-up with Rishabh Pant and perished to a run-out. Thereafter, Pant went berserk and smacked the bowlers to all corners of the Kotla.

He accomplished his half-century in double quick time. His knock went from strength to strength and he eventually notched his maiden IPL ton in 56 balls as for the rarest of occasions, the Sunrisers bowlers strained to find answers to the questions Pant posed. He scored 128 runs in 63 balls and helped Delhi to a massive score of 187 runs, which included 89 runs off the last six overs.

Dhawan and Williamson blaze away

The target was a daunting one for the Sunrisers, however, they didn’t take any half-measures. Alex Hales smashed a couple of boundaries, which kick-started the run-chase for the Sunrisers. To SRH’s agony, he was trapped plumb in front by Harshal Patel, which brought Kane Williamson at the wicket. He had Shikhar Dhawan to partner, who didn’t show great form post his return from the elbow injury.

The duo made a mockery of the run-chase as the Delhi bowlers capsized and leaked runs at an alarming rate as their knocks grew in stature. Both of them accomplished their half-centuries, which got the Sunrisers home with seven balls to spare. Most importantly, while SRH storm into the playoffs, Delhi have officially been eliminated from the tournament.

Shreyas Iyer, the skipper of the Delhi Daredevils, said

I think it was a brilliant total to get on this wicket. Because the start we got was really disheartening. I think towards the end, the ball was coming nicely onto the bat. The wicket played well towards the end. Was a two-paced wicket. We didn’t get many opportunities to get them out. So they played well. There’s always hope to carry into the next season. It’s going to be really important as youngsters that we get along in the coming games. It will give us a boost for the next year.

Kane Williamson, the skipper of the Sunrisers Hyderabad, said,

We wanted to go out and keep playing as a team. And we have been playing on tough surfaces, so it was nice to go out and execute our batting plans. It’s always tough chasing here. We thought it was a tough surface, keeping a touch low perhaps. Pant played a special knock. They had a score above par. Dew played a little part, yes. Wicket was a good surface towards the end. A bit of partnership at the top, which gave us the momentum. We were batting with intent when chasing 180. I think when you are rotating the strike the boundaries start to come. It was nice to get that partnership. Shikhar was outstanding; certainly put them on the back foot.

Shikhar Dhawan, the Player of the Match said,

 The Gabbar was always there – Yes! He’s back. Rishabh played an amazing knock, he took the game away from us. But we believed that we’ll go in with a positive mind-set. I have played lots of cricket over here. I am glad that I scored 92 runs and I am looking forward to score more runs. There was no chat between us, we were doing our job. Kane has been playing brilliantly throughout this season and I was just in the flow, had to go for it. That’s my class.