IPL 2024 Qualifier 2: SRH beat RR by 36 runs
Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Rajasthan Royals by a commanding 36 runs in Qualifier 2, securing their third IPL final appearance.
After restricting SRH to a total of 175/9, RR could only muster 139/7 thanks to a superb bowling effort spearheaded by spinners Shahbaz Ahmed and Abhishek Sharma. In Ahmedabad on Sunday, SRH and Kolkata Knight Riders will play in the IPL 2024 final. Sunrisers are looking for their second IPL trophy and the first since 2016.
Sunrisers Hyderabad put up a decent total on board
In the second qualifier of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL), RR captain Sanju Samson had earlier won the toss and elected to bowl first against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Trent Boult got rid of Abhishek Sharma with the final delivery of his opening over and went on to take two more wickets in his subsequent over.
Despite losing three wickets during the powerplay, SRH maintained a high strike rate and amassed over 60 runs, mostly because of Rahul Tripathi. Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen shared a partnership of 42 runs off 30 balls, but just as the stand was beginning to look dangerous, Head was dismissed by Sandeep Sharma in the tenth over.
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As RR continued to chip away at the SRH batting lineup, their strike rate eventually started to plateau at the beginning of the death overs.
Then, Heinrich Klaasen and Shahbaz Ahmed put on a bit of a comeback, scoring 43 runs between them in 25 balls. After reaching 50 runs in 34 balls, Sandeep Sharma, bowling brilliantly, removed Klaasen with the first ball of the 19th over. SRH finally managed to score 175/9 off their 20 overs.
Rajasthan batting fell miserably
Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who was sent in to open the batting in place of Buttler, seemed out of his element before being bowled for 10 from 16. Sanju Samson made a mistake under duress, attempting to access the long boundary and being caught for 10 off 11. Riyan Parag was facing 3.3 degrees of turn on average, and he, too, made the wrong decision, aiming to hit across the line and getting caught off the top edge for 6 off 10. Dhruv Jurel fought valiantly for a time, scoring 56 off 35 balls, but the balance of power never seemed to shift.
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SRH spin does the trick
SRH did not have a specialist spinner in their lineup, but in these conditions, specialists are unnecessary. You only need people who can turn the ball and hold a line. Shahbaz went above and beyond, winning a contest in which he was the second favourite. Bowling into the left-hander’s hitting arc, he delivered Jaiswal’s first spin dismissal since the IPL 2022.
Cummins called in Abhishek Sharma, who had only bowled three overs this season, from the opposite end. He even instructed Aiden Markram to roll his arm over. The pitch was now taking significant turns, and Cummins utilized every tool in his arsenal to exploit it. SRH created a 33-ball period without a single boundary, relying on bowlers they had not previously used but who were available at this critical time. This 33-ball session also yielded four wickets.
