After two consecutive defeats, Sunrisers Hyderabad finally opened their points tally in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, courtesy of an eight-wicket win over Punjab Kings. Chasing a target of 144 runs, the Orange Army crossed the finish line in 17.1 overs.
Hyderabad opted for their third overseas combination in as many games, with Englishman Harry Brook promoted up the order to partner Mayank Agarwal. The move, however, was unyielding, as Brook could score only 13 runs before losing his wicket to Arshdeep Singh in the fourth over.
It seemed that Punjab were right back in the hunt when Agarwal, who scored a cautious 21, fell prey to Rahul Chahar in the ninth over, with Hyderabad then requiring 99 runs from 69 deliveries.
However, Rahul Tripathi scored his first half-century of the season, to power Hyderabad to a comprehensive victory. Having initially followed the ‘safety first’ approach to the letter, he went gung-ho following Agarwal’s departure, striking three consecutive fours off Harpreet Brar’s third over.
Tripathi brought up his 11th IPL half-century in the 13th over, while at the other end, skipper Aiden Markram had the easiest of jobs – that of rotating the strike and preventing dot balls. At 97/2 in 14 overs, the scales had completely tipped in Hyderabad’s favour, while they further established their supremacy in the 15th over, by making light work of Mohit Rathee and accumulating 21 runs.
Another big over, yielding 17 runs off Nathan Ellis’ bowling, followed by a four in the first delivery of the 18th over, officially added a couple of crucial points to Hyderabad’s tally. Tripathi remained unbeaten on 74 runs from 48 deliveries, with Markram scoring a 21-ball 37.
Shikhar Dhawan Goes 'Solo' For Punjab Kings
Earlier, Shikhar Dhawan epitomised the ‘leading from the front’ phrase, as he emerged as Punjab Kings’ saviour. After being asked to bat first by Aiden Markram, Punjab got off to the worst start they could have plausibly imagined, with Prabhsimran Singh, who had looked in sublime touch so far in this competition, losing his wicket to Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the first ball of the game.
Making his IPL debut, and replacing the injured Bhanuka Rajapaksa in the side, Matthew Short also had an outing to forget, with Marco Jansen getting the batter of the Australian batter in the very next over.
While Dhawan kept the scoreboard ticking for his side, wickets were falling like nine pins at the other end. Jitesh Sharma also could not offer any resilience, contributing just four runs to his team’s cause before becoming Jansen’s second victim.
Mayank Markande Impressive On SRH Debut
Under difficult circumstances, Sam Curran played an invaluable knock for the Kings. He scored a 15-ball 22, building a 41-run fourth-wicket stand with Dhawan, before losing his wicket to Mayank Markande, who was playing his first match for the Sunrisers.
Curran’s departure triggered a collapse, with the next four overs producing as many wickets. Markande was the pick of the bowlers from Markram’s side, scalping a couple of those four wickets in Shahrukh Khan and Rahul Chahar.
The leg-spinner completed his four-fer by dismantling Nathan Ellis’ stumps in the 15th over, which saw Punjab reeling at 88/9, and staring at an all out before they could even reach the three-figure mark.
However, Dhawan pulled off a spectacular comeback to get his team to a respectable total. A couple of sixes in the 16th over, bowled by T Natarajan, set the tone for a comeback, while the last four overs produced 42 runs. The skipper remained unbeaten on 99 runs from 63 deliveries.
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