So now we know that this IPL will have an entirely new team as the winner. While people might argue about the fact that Deccan Chargers won the tournament in 2009 as a representative of Hyderabad, it doesn’t change the fact the Chargers and the Sunriser Hyderabad are two different teams.
As Gautam Gambhir won the toss and put the opponents to bat, one could have sensed a feeling of relief in the heart of the Knight Riders’ captain. However, it didn’t last that long as SRH managed to hold on to a score of above 160.
In reply, KKR started well but lost the way after Colin Munro’s run out. Wickets kept falling and, in the end, their efforts weren’t enough as it didn’t amount to a win.
There were plenty of memorable moments in the match that don't fade away, quite like the Axe Signature range of body perfumes. Here are 5 of the best:
1) Pathan’s economical spell
Gambhir started the game by giving the ball to Yusuf Pathan, a decision that baffled many. He was only a part-time spinner, after all.
However, it turned out to be a great decision as Yusuf Pathan bowled an economical spell in a very short amount of time. He bowled 3 overs while giving away only 17 runs in the process. He might not have got any wickets, but his spell put pressure on the SRH batsman, which in turn helped his bowling partners to rack up some names to their hit-list.
2) Yuvraj’s well-paced innings
Slowly, but surely, Yuvraj Singh is a man returning to form. This is a man who beat cancer, so breaking through a bad patch of form doesn't pose a big challenge for Yusi.
He is not only a match-winner, he is a tournament winner. Be it his batting in the World T20 in 2007 or his exceptional all-round skills that earned him the player of the tournament in the 2011 World Cup winning competition.
And if he fires up again, the IPL is all for SRH’s taking.
He has made a good stride towards that as well. When the other batsmen were struggling, he showed how it was supposed to be done with his sensible 30-ball 44.
3) Manish Pandey’s driving surge
Kolkata started off with hiccups. They just couldn’t catch a break as wickets kept tumbling whenever there seemed to be a partnership going on. Another thing that was bothering them was the ever-climbing run-rate, under whose pressure they cracked.
However, Manish Pandey, who seems to have found a new lease of life at the Knight Riders, did make a surge before returning to the pavilion.
He scored a handy 36 runs in 28 balls, giving his team a legit fighting chance in the end.
4) Moises Henriques’ all-round display
It has been somewhat of an underwhelming tournament for Henriques since he couldn’t replicate his form from last year. However, it seems like he is getting his groove back and last night was one of those days when you fall in awe of his clever, yet, simple bowling.
With the bat, the Australian scored a good 31 off 21, but it was with the bowl that he inflicted the most damage.
Bowling 3 overs from his quota of 4, he gave away only 17 runs while picking up the two most crucial wickets of the set batsmen, Suryakumar Yadav and Yusuf Pathan—wickets that turned out to be the match-winning ones.
5) The art of death bowling
The art of bowling in the death overs is a dying one. There is perhaps no line-up in the world that we can pinpoint to and say that they are pioneers of the skill of slog-over bowling, except for one team: Sunrisers Hyderabad.
In Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mustafizur Rahman, SRH have two of the best death bowlers in world cricket in their team. Time and again this duo has proved to be lethal simply because of how they stop the flow of runs in the final few overs.
Against KKR, they gave away only 24 runs in the last 4 overs—further testifying their superiority and match-winning abilities in the final overs.
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