IPL 9, Eliminator: SRH v KKR – 5 Talking Points

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) registered a wonderful 22 runs victory over challengers Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, Delhi to cruise all the way into the Qualifiers 2. Gautam Gambhir won the toss and chose to bowl first on a track which was anticipated to be on the slower side. And, as anticipated, the pitch offered good support to the bowler. But, SRH still managed to reach a decent 162/8 in 20 overs. KKR in reply began poorly and later went on to lose wickets in clusters. In the end, the target seemed to be too big for the two-time champions were restricted for 140/ 8 in 20 overs. SRH can thank the bowling attack led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar that made the victory pretty as the KKR batsman faltered in the chase right from the start and lost the game without showing much fight.

1.The game changer Kuldeep Yadav:

The SRH side began pretty awkwardly after they lost Dhawan cheaply yet again. Skipper Warner and Moises Henriques then steadied the ship with 59 runs stand for the 2nd wicket. However, KKR bowlers yet again shook SRH after chinaman Kuldeep Yadav snapped both the Aussies in the same over. After a shaky start, the duo rallied ahead pretty smoothly and looked very threatening. However, the 10 over brought some respite. Yadav, who was in to his 2nd over, first made Henriques depart after he forced the batsman to mishit a flatter one straight up in the air. Yadav took the catch himself to finish the task and provide KKR with a crucial breakthrough. The following ball saw Warner miss a sweep shot and getting bowled out, giving the young spinner his second wicket in as many balls.

2. Yuvraj Singh anchors the innings:

Veteran Yuvraj Singh walked amidst chaos in the middle after Warner and Henriques went back off consecutive deliveries. Yuvi quickly went into SOS mode and began resurrecting the SRH innings with young man Deepak Hooda. Both put on a valuable 49 runs stand for the 4th wicket and took their team to safety. Although the pair rescued their team from the danger, there was a lack of understanding between the senior pro and his junior teammate. Eventually, this became the reason for their separation as Hooda was run out in the 16th over, bringing an end to the stand.

3. Bhuvneshwar Kumar wins the purple cap:

Bhuvneshwar Kumar led the bowling attack from the front and was one of the chief contributors in the SRH’s win tonight. After being denied early success in his first spell, Kumar made a good comeback and snapped three wickets in his last two overs. His first victim was the crucial Manish Pandey in the 18th over. He then hit the final nail in the coffin for KKR after he dismissed both Jason Holder and R. Satish in the last over. His final figures read 3/19 in four over. With the help of this performance, Bhuvi also jumped ahead of Shane Watson and Yuzvendra Chahal in the top wicket takers chart to claim the Purple Cap.

4. Collective bowling performances lead team to victory:

The rest of the bowling attack also contributed greatly to the win tonight. Barinder Sran (1/29) was the first to find the breakthrough and finished well. Mustafizur Rahman (0/28) was yet again at his economical best. Ben Cutting (1/14) also did well. Moises Henriques (2/17) also performed brilliantly with the ball after playing a crucial knock with the bat earlier in the innings. He was awarded the Man of the Match for his all-round show.

5. A new champion guaranteed:

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s win today means that the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League will have a guaranteed new champion. Royal Challengers have already qualified to the finals after beating Gujarat Lions in the qualifier. Sunrisers Hyderabad qualified to the second qualifiers by virtue of this win. Lions, who have one more shot for the place in the finals, will face Sunrisers Hyderabad next. The winner of the 2nd qualifier will meet RCB in the finals to decide the ultimate champion of the tournament.