Sunrisers Hyderabad clinched a nail-biting one run victory over RR, thanks to veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The SRH pacer turned the clock back to prove that he’s still got it – both with the new ball and in the death overs. Despite valiant knocks from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag, RR fell short by the narrowest of the margins. If Bhuvi hadn’t managed to take a wicket off his last delivery, we might have very well seen IPL 2024’s first-ever Super Over.
It all began with Pat Cummins making the right decision to bat first, thus playing by the side’s strength. Head and Reddy turned the heat on RR bowlers, taking them to the cleaners and setting up the stage for Klaasen to finish on a high note. Once again, SRH posted a 200+ total on board, making life miserable for RR. Despite a strong fightback from the batters, SRH prevailed in the contest – thanks to their bowlers. On that note, let’s take a look at some of the eyeball grabbing headlines that you can’t miss from Thursday.
Another day, another umpire controversy
Rajasthan Royals coach Kumar Sangakkara lost his temper after a controversial decision involving a run-out in the game against SRH. The incident, involving Travis Head, occurred in the 15th over as SRH were batting first in Hyderabad. A run-out decision was referred to the third umpire who delivered a controversial verdict, forcing Sangakkara to react.
OG Bhuvi returns!
Bhuvneshwar Kumar turned the clock back to display his lethal prowess with the ball in the game against Rajasthan Royals. The veteran bowler held his nerves to get a wicket off the last ball as RR required 2 runs to win the game. Kumar’s performance comes two days after he was left out of India’s 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup.
Chahal’s unwanted record on 300th game
Yuzvendra Chahal registered an unwanted record by delivering his most expensive spell in IPL history. He conceded 62 runs in 4 overs against Sunrisers Hyderabad, and this happened in his 300th T20 match.
The rise of Nitish Reddy
Nitish Kumar Reddy showed the world once again why he is in serious contention for the upcoming star of the season this year. The SRH batter stayed unbeaten on 76 runs as he guided his side to a mammoth first innings total. He was instrumental in stitching a good partnership with Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen. Reddy smashed 8 sixes and three fours in his well-paced knock.
Injury scare for DJ
As if the season wasn’t going bad for him already, Dhruv Jurel suffered an injury as well. Fielding at the long-on boundary in the ninth over of the first inning, he tried to stop a boundary and seemed to have injured his hamstring. He sat near the boundary for a while and was taken off the pitch soon.
Riyan Parag continues to impress
After a shaky start for RR with Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson dismissed cheaply, Riyan Parag played the role of an anchor to perfection. The star is already the leading run-getter for RR in IPL 2024 and further cemented his place with a 77-run knock of 49 deliveries. This knock means a lot for Parag, who also happens to be left out of India’s T20 World Cup squad despite performing consistently in domestic cricket and IPL 2024.
Editors pick
