IPL 2019: Match 8, SRH vs RR – Sunrisers Hyderabad Player Ratings

It turned out to be a fitting end to the first week of IPL 2019. The Sunrisers Hyderabad hosted the Rajasthan Royals in a run riot in Hyderabad. The Orange Army chased down a mammoth target of 198 with utmost ease. At the end of the first innings, it seemed that the Royals had about 30 runs over the par score. But the hosts were just too good on the day. SRH registered a clinical win riding on an exceptional batting form of their top order.

Earlier in the match, RR won the toss and opted to bat first. Clearly, they did not want the SRH team to play to their strengths of defending totals at their home venue. The decision looked very fine indeed. Despite losing Jos Buttler early, the Royals managed to score runs briskly. Ajinkya Rahane and Sanju Samson added 119 runs for the second wicket. While Rahane perished for 70, it was Sanju Samson who played the anchor role with a classy unbeaten 102 off 55 deliveries. Their efforts helped the visitors finish with 198 runs on the board.

In the run chase, the Men in Orange got off to a flying start. David Warner hit a fifty, and Jonny Bairstow missed one very narrowly. Vijay Shankar chipped in with a quick cameo. A brief hiccup troubled SRH when wickets fell in a cluster in the end overs. But some brute force from Yusuf Pathan and Rashid Khan helped their side to register their first win of the season. For the records, this is the highest successful run chase for the Sunrisers in the history of the IPL.

Here are the SRH Player Ratings for the match:

David Warner – 9/10

David Warner had a decent start to the season when he batted well in the previous game. In this game, he got a shade better and proved that he can still be the destructive opener that the oppositions need to worry about. Warner set the tone of the run-chase for SRH. He scored 69 out of the 110-run opening stand that he had with Jonny Bairstow. His brutal knock came off just 37 deliveries as he hit 9 fours and a couple of sixes.

Jonny Bairstow – 8/10

Jonny Bairstow largely played in the shadows of Warner in the powerplay. Warner dominated the proceedings and Bairstow got very little strike in the initial overs. He was happy to play the second fiddle to Warner but soon picked up the pace. He ended up with a brilliant 45 off 28 deliveries with a six and six boundaries. A monumental catching effort from Dhawal Kulkarni on the boundary ropes was needed to send Bairstow packing.

Kane Williamson – 3/10

Kane Williamson looked in very fine touch when he arrived at the crease. On the second ball that he faced, he played a masterly drive that oozed sheer class and elegance. Later, for a brief while, he was happy to give the strike to Vijay Shankar, who was smoking it at the other end. Williamson then thought of changing gears and ended up getting dismissed with just 14 under his name.

Vijay Shankar – 8.5/10

Vijay Shankar has been thoroughly impressive throughout this season. While his bowling was the talking point leading into the tournament, the all-rounder is making the headlines with his batting prowess. For the second time in a row, he has shown that he can be a belligerent batter with a six hitting ability. Shankar scored a quick 35 off just 15 deliveries with three sixes and a four to his name. With the ball, he got just one over to bowl and he conceded 13 runs.

Manish Pandey – 1/10

Manish Pandey had a failure in this game. Pandey seems to have hit a dim verge in the recent times. He was phenomenal as the captain of Karnataka team in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this year. He largely failed to translate his good run of form in this game though. He scored just 1 in the match.

Yusuf Pathan – 7/10

Yusuf Pathan played a small yet defining role in the run chase for SRH. In the 17th over of the match, it was a magnificent pull shot from Pathan, off the bowling of Jofra Archer, that pretty much sealed the fate of the game. The shot went for a six and reduced the asking rate drastically. Pathan remained unbeaten on 16 off 12 deliveries.

Rashid Khan – 8/10

Rashid Khan was asked to bowl in the power play today. The prodigy proved that he can excel with the new ball too. He dismissed the in-form Jos Buttler for just 5. In a match where every bowler went for aplenty, Rashid conceded just 24 in his four overs. Later in the game, Rashid finished off the proceedings in style with a four and a six off Jofra Archer. His unbeaten 15 came off only 8 deliveries. Things could have been closer in the game, but Rashid managed to cap things off in the penultimate over.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 2/10

Bhuvneshwar Kumar had a forgetful outing with the ball. The veteran pacer equalled his previous worst bowling performance in the IPL. He was taken away for 55 runs in the four overs that he bowled. He failed to take any wicket. In the 18th over of the match, he was milked for 24 runs by Sanju Samson. Bhuvi’s struggle in the death overs is a worrying concern not just for SRH but for the Indian team as well.

Shahbaz Nadeem – 5/10

Veteran left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem got his first opportunity to play in the season. Nadeem had a decent time with the ball in hand. He broke the 119-run second wicket stand between Rahane and Samson. He accounted for the wicket of Rahane in the 16th over of the match. Nadeem finished with figures of 1/36 in three overs. He would have liked it a little more had he not been on the expensive side of things.

Sandeep Sharma – 4/10

Sandeep Sharma had a disappointing day with the ball. He was expected to swing the ball early on but found very little assistance from the wicket at Uppal. He looked largely ineffective in his second spell as well. Sandeep conceded 38 runs in his complete quota of overs and failed to show up in the wickets column.

Siddharth Kaul – 4/10

The match was an absolute nightmare for most of the bowlers. And Siddharth Kaul was no exception either. Kaul erred first up with a no-ball in his spell. He could never really get things going as Sanju Samson and Ajinkya Rahane looked comfortable against him. He ended up with 0/32 to his name at the end of his four overs.

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