IPL 9 Match 40 Review: SRH beats RPS in a close game

The misery for Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) continued after they were handed their 8th loss of the season by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Vishakapatnam. Batting first, the SRH side was restricted to a functional total of 137/8 in 20 overs after leg-spinner Adam Zampa snapped 6/19, the second best bowling figures in the IPL. RPS, in reply, took the match till the last over but eventually submitted for 133/8, losing the match closely by 4 runs.

Batsmen from both the sides had a very tough time in the middle playing in bowler friendly conditions. The total benefactors of the conditions, however, were the pace-heavy SRH bowling attack which took full advantage and defended the target successfully.

David Warner won the toss and decided to set the target for the MS Dhoni-led side. But, it was not an ideal start for SRH after the skipper himself lost his wicket in the 4th over, going back to the dugout for just 11 off 14 balls.

Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson then knocked singles and doubles to rebuild the innings with a 46 runs stand before Ravichandran Ashwin made Dhawan depart in the 11th over. He went back for a pacy 27 ball 33 runs knock.

Understanding the nature of the wicket MS Dhoni largely relied on slow bowlers after the powerplays. Yuvraj Singh and Kane Williamson weren’t able to get going due to the lack of pace from Ashwin and Bhatia who bowled in tandem in the middle overs.

Yuvi looked to be finally getting into the groove after he struck two sixes and a four in the 13th and 14th over. But, Adam Zampa’s re-introduction in the following over saw wickets falling in quick succession. The leggie snapped his first scalp of the day in the form of Yuvraj. MS Dhoni played smart and preserved him for the last over by letting bowl the 18th over. The decision proved to very effective as Zampa claimed 5 wickets in his last two overs.

In the 18th over, he added the wickets of Kane Williamson and Moises Henriques to his kitty to dent SRH batting efforts. The last over of the match saw three more wickets falling. Deepak Hooda, Naman Ojha, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar fell off the 2nd, 4th, and the last ball. But, 8 runs still came off the over which saw the team total rise to 137/8  after 20 overs.

The chase did not start on a positive note for the Pune franchise as they lost Ajinkya Rahane in the 1st over to the swing of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Usman Khawaja also fell after getting a start.

Dhoni threw a surprise at everyone after Ravi Ashwin was sent at No.4 to bat with George Bailey. The move worked as both stitched a 49 run stand to keep the chase in track. Ashwin initially looked rusty but then played some unorthodox hits to gather run at brisk pace. Despite all the efforts from the pair, the run rate, however, kept mounting. The partnership was broken in the 12th over after Bailey was dismissed by Henriques. Ashwin also followed him an over later.

MS Dhoni (30 runs 20 balls) and Thisara Perera (17 from 13 balls) then played quickfire cameos and took the match very close, creating a bit of nervousness among SRH fans. But, their efforts weren’t enough in the end as the team fell short by four runs.

Brief Scores: 

Sunrisers Hyderabad:137/8 in 20 overs (Shikar Dhawan 33; Adam Zampa 6/19)

Rising Pune Supergiants:133/8 in 20 overs (George Bailey 34; Ashish Nehra 3/29)

Man of the Match: Adam Zampa

Also, Read – IPL 9, Match 40: RPS v SRH – 5 Talking Points