Hyderabad beat Bangalore by 4 runs as Kumar holds his nerve in final over
MAXWELL RUN-OUT SEES SUNRISERS SURPRISE TITLE CONTENDERS
Alion-hearted performance from the Sunrisers Hyderabad bowlers helped carve out a four-run win in a thriller in Abu Dhabi. That was an unlikely prospect when Royal Challengers Bangalore restricted Hyderabad to 141/7 in 20 overs with excellent bowling from Dan Christian (2-14) and Harshal Patel (3-33) in IPL 2021 yesterday.
The Bangalore chase got off to an awful start with skipper Virat Kohli departing in the first over. But Devdutt Padikkal (41 runs of 52 balls) played the sheet anchor and stitched a fourth-wicket stand of 54 with Glenn Maxwell (40 off 25). Maxwell’s run out changed the complexion of the game, but a cameo from Shahbaz Ahmed (14 off 9) pushed the chase into the final over. Bhuvneshwar Kumar held his nerve to bowl a tight over despite a six by AB de Villiers, and Hyderabad ran out winners.
Small margins
Kohli felt the dismissal of Maxwell was the turning point. “Dev and Maxi set things up but Maxi’s run out was the key moment for us. With AB you’re never out of the game, but it’s also a case of keeping the guy in the flow on strike. Shahbaz I think played a crucial knock at the stage and pulled us back into the game. It’s a game of small margins. Things could have gone anywhere and Sunrisers held their nerves to not allow us to get away,” he said.
Kane Williamson, who captained Hyderabad brilliantly, was chosen the Player of the Match. “It’s been a really tough season but it was great to see these small improvements. The conditions are challenging and to see the fight and the heart in the second half was great to see,” he said of the Hyderabad performance.
Earlier, the strengths and weaknesses of Hyderabad were on full display after Kohli put them to bat. The ploy to move Abhishek Sharma to the opening slot didn’t work, and it was left to Williamson (31) to carry the Hyderabad batting. Jason Roy (44 off 36) was lucky but hung on gamely as the duo strung together 70 runs for the second wicket, but left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed kept them in check
After Williamson’s departure, Hyderabad went into a free-fall with Dan Christian (2-14), Harshal Patel (3-33) and Yuzvendra Chahal wreaking havoc. And the score never reached the heights it promised.
Bangalore remains third in the points table, but Hyderabad, who have one more game left, exit with their heads held high.