During the 42nd match of the 11th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) between Delhi Daredevils (DD) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Delhi, Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Delhi Daredevils by 9 wickets in a match which saw them gaining a four-point lead on the points table.
After Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bat, Delhi Daredevils scored 187-5 in their allotted quota of 20 overs. Having lost their openers on consecutive deliveries in the powerplay, the Daredevils came of age after Rishabh Pant scored his maiden IPL century. The 20-year old wicket-keeper southpaw was exceptional on the given day.
In the second innings, Sunrisers Hyderabad lost Alex Hales (14) early, but what followed was a 176-run unbeaten partnership between Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson. The stand saw the Sunrisers cruising through in the chase. They eventually won the match in the penultimate over.
Now, we will look at the hits and flops players in this match.
Hits
Rishabh Pant (DD) – Coming in to bat at No. 4 in the fifth over, Rishabh Pant became the fulcrum of Delhi Daredevils’ innings which otherwise lacked a significant innings. The fact that Pant dominated the tournament’s best bowling attack speaks highly about his knock. He ended up scoring 128* (63) with the help of 15 fours and seven sixes.
Shikhar Dhawan (SRH) – Opening the innings alongside Hales, ‘Man of the Match’ Shikhar Dhawan played an innings full of responsibility. His nuances saw him shifting gears between remaining patient, nudging the ball for a single/double and dominating the opposition bowlers. He ended up scoring his 30th IPL half-century 92 (50) with the help of nine fours and four sixes.
Kane Williamson (SRH) – Kane Williamson, captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad, played another typical captain’s knock tonight. Coming in to bat at No. 3 in the second over, Williamson started his innings playing the second-fiddle to Dhawan and then eventually hit the boundaries. He scored 83* (53) with the help of eight fours and two sixes.
Flops
Shreyas Iyer (DD) – Coming in to bat at No. 3 in the fourth over, Shreyas Iyer out out in eighth over. Iyer became the first of the two batsmen to get out for the Daredevils. He scored 3 (8).
Bhuvneshwar Kumar (SRH) – Opening the bowling for Sunrisers Hyderabad, it was a rare day in cricket Bhuvneshwar Kumar conceded runs just to give everyone a reality check. Bhuvneshwar Kumar registered bowling figures of 4-0-51-1 which saw him going for 44 runs in his last two overs.
Trent Boult (DD) – Opening the bowling for Delhi Daredevils, Trent Boult ended up being an expensive affair tonight. In his 3.5 overs, he leaked 43 wicketless runs. He was expected to chip in with wickets especially to break the 17th-run stand.
