IPL 2021: Match 33, DC vs SRH – Who Said What

Neither the change in captaincy nor player combinations, neither venue nor opposition, neither defending nor chasing, nothing has worked for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2021 IPL as they suffered another defeat – their seventh in eight games – against Delhi Capitals on their season resumption.

Batting first, Hyderabad never got going as they continued to lose wickets through their stay of 20 overs. David Warner, after being dropped in the first half, made a forgettable comeback, bagging a three-ball duck, while skipper Kane Williamson, who got as many as three lives, failed to capitalize either, ending up with a rusty 26-ball 18.

Both Wriddhiman Saha (18 off 17) and Manish Pandey (17 off 16) got starts, although neither of them was able to convert it into a knock of substance, with Kagiso Rabada scalping three wickets, and Anrich Nortje and Axar Patel bagging two each to restrict SRH to an underwhelming 134/9, which too was thanks to some late acceleration by Abdul Samad, who struck 28 off 21 and Rashid Khan 22 off 19.

Hyderabad did strike early courtesy of Khaleel Ahmed, who sent back Prithvi Shaw for 11, but a 52-run second-wicket stand between Shikhar Dhawan (42 off 37) and Shreyas Iyer (unbeaten 47 off 41) kept Delhi comfortable in the middle. Dhawan was undone by Rashid Khan as the last wicket for SRH as Rishabh Pant (35 off 21) gunned down the remaining target alongside Iyer, with eight wickets in hands and over two overs to spare. Delhi reclaimed the top spot in the tally, having won seven of their nine encounters so far.

Losing skipper Kane Williamson:

We didn’t start well, didn’t register a decent partnership but never got any momentum, some good scores in the back-end, but pretty much 25-30 runs short. We did bowl well, we have defended modest scores in the past, but it wasn’t to be today which was a bit of a shame. It’s been a difficult campaign so far, but we need to enjoy our cricket and don’t put ourselves under pressure – they were excellent, they are both quality internationals, two of the best fast bowlers going around at the moment and they put us under pressure. They got us into hard positions, perhaps if we hadn’t lost early wickets, we could have done differently, but Delhi were outstanding and played some smart cricket. We need to concentrate on the way we play and try to improve

Shikhar Dhawan:

I’m enjoying wearing the cap, I’m enjoying the way I’m timing the ball. Not very true, this surface, it stopped a bit, and we had to plan the game according to the wicket. So it was good to go out there and secure a win. I consciously made an effort to increase the tempo and strike-rate, because I wanted to be an impacful player for my side. It was just about the execution. Rabada and Nortje are our gun bowlers. Rabada always gets us the wicket. Nortje has great pace and his game has improved too, so they are troubling the batsmen. Absolutely enjoying being at the top of the table.

Winning skipper Rishabh Pant:

We discussed that we had a good first phase, and we are happy to start the second phase this way. We said the same thing about focusing on the process and giving it 100% every day. It’s a good bowling performance because we thought 150-160 would have been a good total, so 130-something was a good score to restrict them to. We have one of the quickest bowlers in the world so I think they’re great assets to have.

Player of the Match Anrich Nortje:

Missing out in the first half was disappointing. It was good to have a good start to the tournament for me. Looking at the first game here, it was good to see some grass and then yesterday’s big score – didn’t know what to expect. It was good to keep things simple in the end. I don’t really focus on who I’m getting out, but I’m happy I contributed to the team’s win.