Get Newsletter
Notification products, updates
May 24, 2024
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) stormed into the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 final with a commanding 36-run victory over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Qualifier 2 at Chennai. Batting first, SRH set a challenging target of 175, which their bowlers defended superbly, delivering a memorable performance.
In the RR vs SRH clash, SRH showcased their aggressive intent immediately. Despite losing a few wickets during the powerplay, their determination remained intact. Trent Boult led the early charge for RR, dismissing Abhishek Sharma after he had scored a six and a four. Boult’s first-over breakthrough came when he induced a false shot from Sharma, who was caught on the off-side.
Travis Head settled in while Rahul Tripathi attacked aggressively at the other end. Tripathi was relentless, hitting boundaries regardless of the bowler. Against R Ashwin, Tripathi began with a four-through third man, and Boult also conceded a boundary in the following over. When Ashwin returned for his second spell, Tripathi continued his assault with two fours and a six, and Boult was hit for another six and a four. However, in an attempt to secure another boundary, Tripathi played a slower ball from Boult to the short third man. Despite this, with 37 off 15 balls, Tripathi provided Sunrisers Hyderabad with significant momentum in the RR vs SRH encounter.
Boult was still working, but he wasn’t, as he dismissed Aiden Markram shortly after, with Markram edging to Yuzvendra Chahal at short third-man. At the end of five overs in the RR vs SRH match, SRH was 57 for three. Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen then worked on stabilizing the innings. Head, initially subdued, hit his first boundary in the sixth over off Sandeep Sharma. Klaasen found his rhythm by hitting Chahal for a six-over mid-wicket in the eighth over. A few quiet overs followed, leading to a false shot from Head, caught by Sandeep at third-man.
In the last 10 overs of the RR vs SRH clash, Klaasen led SRH’s innings despite RR’s bowlers continuing to strike and limit their progress. Avesh Khan made a significant impact in the 14th over, taking two wickets, including Nitish Reddy, dismissed with a reverse sweep to third-man, and Abdul Samad, bowled on the first ball.
Klaasen then rallied SRH from 120 for six to a competitive total, reaching his fifty off 33 balls in the 18th over. Shahbaz Ahmed, brought in as an Impact Player, added 18 runs. SRH finished at 175 for nine. For RR, Sandeep Sharma (two for 25) and Avesh Khan (three for 27) were the standout bowlers, with Boult also taking three wickets in the RR vs SRH contest.
When RR began their run-chase in the RR vs SRH match, Yashasvi Jaiswal was in excellent form. In the very first over, he hit Bhuvneshwar Kumar for a six over mid-wicket. Despite a few testing overs, SRH secured their first breakthrough when Pat Cummins dismissed Tom Kohler-Cadmore. Jaiswal came into his own in the sixth over, hitting three fours and a six off Bhuvneshwar. By the end of the powerplay, RR was 51 for one and appeared to be in a strong position, with Jaiswal in fine form.
As the game progressed into the middle overs, SRH’s spinners made a decisive impact, turning the RR vs SRH clash in their favor. Shahbaz Ahmed broke the partnership by having Yashasvi Jaiswal (42 off 21 balls) caught in the deep in the eighth over. Shortly after, Abhishek Sharma dismissed Samson, who was caught by Markram after lofting the ball to deep mid-wicket. SRH’s spinners maintained the pressure, with Shahbaz tightening their grip on the match by taking two key wickets in the 12th over—Riyan Parag was caught at mid-wicket, and Ashwin snared an edge to the wicketkeeper. At 80 for five after 12 overs, SRH firmly controlled the RR vs SRH contest.
RR struggled to recover after that setback. Shimron Hetmyer was introduced as an Impact Player but was restricted by the SRH bowlers and couldn’t find any rhythm. Rovman Powell also failed to make an impact, as he was kept in check by the SRH attack. The only Rajasthan Royals batter who fought till the end was Dhruv Jurel. Despite the mounting pressure and falling wickets at the other end, he showcased his temperament by reaching fifty off 26 balls in the penultimate over. By then, SRH was firmly in control as the RR vs SRH game neared its conclusion.
Shahbaz and Abhishek, the two left-arm spinners, were instrumental in the RR vs SRH match. They combined for five wickets while conceding only 47 runs in their eight overs. Their performance secured SRH’s place in the final, setting up a rematch of Qualifier 1 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the title clash on Sunday in Chennai.
Get behind your team! Visit our site to showcase your dedicated support.