IPL 10, Match 24, RPS v SRH Review: MS Dhoni powers RPS to their 3rd win of the season

It was the magic from the bat of former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni which enabled Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) to clinch a nail-biting thriller against the defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final delivery of the match to win their 3rd match of the competition. After a string of poor performances, the back to back victory will definitely bolster their chances as the tournament progresses.

Earlier in the day it was the 28 balls 55 from Moises Henriques which enabled the visitors to reach a competitive total of 176. He played some delightful shots and executed the big shots to perfection. Dan Christian was the pick of the RPS bowlers finishing with impressive figures of 1/20 in the allotted 4 overs.

Winning the toss RPS captain Steve Smith asked the visitors to bat. The known faces of Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner walked out in the middle to begin proceedings. Both southpaws played some good shots but Warner, in particular, was finding it hard to unleash the big shots. Dhawan played some good shots as Warner also joined in the fun in the final over of the powerplay as they reached 45/0 at the end of 6 overs.

Kiwis skipper Kane Williamson and started off from where he left the other day. He smashed a four and six of Ben Stokes in the 12th over but couldn’t carry on his good work as he was bamboozled by a well-disguised off-cutter from Dan Christian. Now it was the time of Moises Henriques to unleash the big shots as he began with a couple of boundaries of Shardul Thakur in the 14th over.

Boundaries kept flowing from the bat of Henriques as the Australian looked in a dominating mood. His innings of 55 contained 6 fours and 2 hits over the fence as SRH reached a competitive total of 176 on the board. It was a good effort by the defending champs and RPS was definitely wary going into the dressing room in the mid-innings break.

Purple cap holder Bhuvneshwar Kumar and left-arm spinner Bipul Sharma began pretty well with two tight overs upfront. Youngster Rahul Tripathi looked in ominous touch from the outset and began with two delightful drives of Bhuvi in the 3rd over. His partner Rahane couldn’t carry on and gave away his wicket to Bipul Sharma. It was a big breakthrough as the right-hander mistimed a straighter one to Siddharth Kaul stationed in the mid on region.

Despite the fall of Rahane’s wicket, Tripathi started gaining in confidence and played some exceptional shots. He welcomed Mohammad Siraj to the crease by stepping down the track to smash him for a six and a four. The entertainment wasn’t finished there as Kaul was smashed for consecutive boundaries and a four in the 6th over as RPS reached 55/1 at the end of 6 overs.

Tripathi reached his half-century in the 9th over while captain Smith also started to flex his muscles. He smashed Bipul Sharma for consecutive sixes in the 10th over as RPS reached 83/1 at the half way mark. The young leggie Rashid Khan finally put the brakes on RPS with the prized wicket of Smith as the modern master failed to read his googly. He went for a cut but the ball came in sharply to disturb his timbers.

Meanwhile, Rahul Tripathi had to go back to the pavilion after a brilliant run out brought an end to his brilliant innings of 59 of 41 deliveries. MS Dhoni who walked out in the middle at the fall of Smith’s wicket and looked rusty during the initial stages of his innings. His first big shot came in the 15th over of Siddharth Kaul and from there on it was Dhoni Dhoni all the way.

RPS took 17 runs from the 18th over as youngster Mohammad Siraj was smashed for a couple of boundaries and a six by Dhoni and Manoj Tiwary together. Bhuvneshwwar Kumar wasn’t spared either as the best death bowler got deposited for a six and a couple of fours in the penultimate over which brought the target within the touching distance. He finished the match off with an exceptional stroke over the cover fielder as RPS won by 4 wickets.

Brief Scores

Sunrisers Hyderabad 176/3 in 20 overs (Moises Henriques 55*, Dan Christian 1/20)

Rising Pune Supergiant 179/4 in 20 overs (MS Dhoni 61*, Rahul Tripathi 59, Rashid Khan 1/17)

Rising Pune Supergiant won by 4 wickets (in the final delivery of the match)

Check out – Full scorecard here

Check out – Points table here