Sunrisers Hyderabad produced another superb spell of bowling as they rode through Rashid Khan to overpower Kings XI Punjab in another low scoring affair. The win helped Kane Williamson’s side go second in the table after clinching a fifth victory in seven matches in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 season.
Rashid Khan (3/19) in four overs ripped apart R Ashwin’s side to see the Sunrisers leap to joy and the side showed they have the best bowling attack in IPL 2018. In the last match, they defended a 118-run total against Mumbai Indians and this game too, they took the bowling to the opposition and handed the in-form Kings XI Punjab a rare defeat.
Ashwin led Kings XI Punjab failed to get past the line and Sunrisers won by 13 runs. The overall bowling show saw the likes of Sandeep Sharma, Shakib Al Hasan and Basil Thampi all come good in a cracking tie.
And, it's all over here at Hyderabad as the #SRH beat #KXIP by 13 runs in a low scoring game.#SRHvKXIP pic.twitter.com/vaW8M3hMig
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 26, 2018
Earlier, Ankit Rajpoot’s five-for had jolted the hosts as they could only manage 132/6. Manish Pandey rode his luck to a gritty 54 as KXIP’s poor fielding allowed him to get out of jail. Mujeeb Ur Rahman enjoyed his time in the middle as well keeping the Afghan spirit alive.
Exceptional bowling unit
Mind you, there was no Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Billy Stanlake, yet Sunrisers Hyderabad producing such all-round bowling show takes away one’s mind. Rashid Khan was in a different mood altogether as he raced to nine wickets to be joint second with Siddarth Kaul in the Purple Cap list. Rashid’s rise has been the pivotal factor for SRH in eking out such shows.
One bowler that has stepped up is Basil Thampi (2/14) and after a sound show against MI, he got the key wicket of Chris Gayle (23). Thampi showed his composure to take a caught and bowl chance and brings an interesting zip to the side. Sandeep Sharma in for Bhuvi was once again key deceiving both Manoj Tiwary and Andrew Tye and ending up with figures of 2/17.
SRH have cropped up a sound bowling line-up that is blended with rawness and the essential mind of experience.
Ankit Rajpoot shines for KXIP
It was by far the best bowling performance in IPL 11 so far and right-arm pacer Ankit Rajpoot staked his claim as a top asset. Four overs, fourteen runs and a five-for, KXIP skipper R Ashwin could not have asked any more from the former Kolkata Knight Riders man.
The highlight of Rajpoot’s bowling was the manner in which he ripped apart the SRH top order. Shikhar Dhawan (11), Kane Williamson (0) and Wriddhiman Saha (6) all failed to accept Rajpoot’s challenge as the hosts were reduced to 27/3 in no time. The bowler then came back in style in the end and got Manish Pandey and Mohammad Nabi in the final 0ver.
This was the second-best performance by an Indian pace bowler in IPL history.
- 5/12 Ishant v KTK, Kochi, 2011
- 5/14 A Rajpoot v SRH, Hyderabad, 2018
- 5/19 Bhuvneshwar v KXIP, Hyderabad, 2017
- 5/21 Munaf v KXIP, Mohali, 2011
This was a classy KXIP bowling show and not to forget the contribution of Afghan delight Mujeeb Ur Rahman. The teenager once again was on the money and gave away just 17 runs from for overs besides a wicket.
Sunrisers Hyderabad batting disappoints yet again
They were bundled for 118 in the last match against Mumbai Indians, and this time it was another wobble. SRH was rocked once again at the start and that did not do them any justice. Manish Pandey’s gritty fifty helped by luck and misfields pushed the hosts to a paltry 132/6. Shakib Al Hasan and Yusuf Pathan contributed with 28 and 21 runs respectively.
The issue for Sunrisers Hyderabad will be the poor form of Wriddhiman Saha. The player has been dismissed cheaply in all the matches so far and sticking with him atop hasn’t done the team any good. The team needs to gather the troops, especially in the batting department to help its bowlers from now on. The bowlers have been doing a great job, but they can’t be asked to repeat it time and agin. The Batsmen needs to step up.