IPL 2018, SRH vs DD: 5 talking points

Sunrisers Hyderabad proved that their match-winning credentials are second to none with a comfortable 9-wicket victory over a Delhi Daredevils side who would have been dreaming of a win after scoring 187 runs at the halfway stage.

Rishabh Pant's unbeaten 63-ball 128 was the backbone of the Delhi innings but a superb 176-run unbeaten second-wicket partnership between Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson helped SRH chase down the target with seven balls to spare.

With their highest successful run-chase in IPL history, the hosts confirmed their spot in the playoffs while the season is all but over for Delhi.

Here are the 5 major talking points from tonight's match.

---

#5 Ricky Ponting's masterstroke

Ricky Ponting's debut season at the helm of Delhi Daredevils has been a tough experience for the Australian legend but his move to promote Harshal Patel up the order just proved why he is considered one of the greatest captains in the history of the game.

With his side struggling at 43/3 and his skipper making his way back to the pavilion after a mix-up with Rishabh Pant, Ponting made the bold call to send Patel ahead of the likes of Glenn Maxwell and Vijay Shankar and the move turned out to be a masterstroke as the 27-year-old changed the course of the match with his cameo of 24 off 17 balls.

With three wickets down already, Pant knew that he just couldn't afford to take on the bowling and it was wonderful to watch Patel take on the responsibility of getting the run-rate moving.

He was looking good with the bat and hit two sixes on his way to a 17-ball 24 before his time in the middle ended after a mix-up with Pant.

#4 SRH bowlers take a beating

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was taken to the cleaners by Pant in the final over of the Delhi innings

More often than not, it is the bowlers that have won the matches for SRH with Rashid Khan and Sidharth Kaul leading their respective departments.

It looked like being a similar story tonight when Shakib al Hasan stuck twice in two balls to dismiss both the Delhi openers - Prithvi Shaw and Jason Roy - back to the pavilion with just 21 runs on the board.

Shreyas Iyer's unfortunate run-out made it 43/3 but it all went downhill for the Hyderabad bowlers from then on as Harshal Patel got the run-rate going before Rishabh Pant took over and decimated the SRH bowling line-up with his meaty blows all around the ground.

The highlight of his knock was the way he dispatched Bhuvneshwar Kumar for 26 runs in the final over of the innings to put a glaring black mark in the fast bowler's reputation as a dependable player in the death overs.

Kumar conceded 51 off his 4 overs while Kaul went for 48 of his quota of 4 overs.

#3 Rishabh Pant's woeful running between the wickets

Pant was guilty of two run-out dismissals in the Delhi innings

Rishabh Pant played one of the best knocks in IPL history, no doubt, but what attracted as much attention as his big-hitting skills on the day was his trouble at running between the wickets.

He ran out not one, but two of his teammates on the way to his majestic hundred and it was the young wicketkeeper-batsman who at fault on both occasions.

Pant was guilty of ball-watching and made a positive response initially before backing out leaving his partner in dire straits and with little chance of making his way back to the crease.

Skipper Shreyas Iyer was the first to go, falling victim to Pant's indecisiveness for the second time this season, while Harsh Patel whose cameo arguably changed the course of the match, also saw his innings cut short after being sent back by Pant midway through completing a double.

#2 Rishabh Pant scores 50th IPL ton

Pant remained unbeaten on 128 off just 63 balls

Rishabh Pant's masterclass knock of 128 against SRH on their home turf will go down in IPL history as one of the most memorable hundreds in the eleven-year history of the tournament, not just because of the way he dismantled the SRH bowling attack but also by virtue of being the 50th ton in the IPL since its inception in 2008.

Pant started off slowly as Delhi struggled with the loss of three early wickets and it was Harshal Patel who got the run-rate going upwards with his cameo before Pant took over following the former's dismissal.

Pant was at fault for the dismissals of both Patel and Delhi skipper Shreyas Iyer, but he didn't let that affect his concentration out in the middle as he went about his job on a slow pitch.

He hit as many as 15 boundaries and 7 sixes during his unbeaten knock of 128 off just 63 balls that helped Delhi achieve an above-par total of 187 thanks in part to the 26 runs scored off the final over bowled by the often-reliable Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

To be fair to Bhuvi, allSRH bowlers except Sandeep Sharma fell prey to Pant's incredible hitting and it was undoubtedly a knock of the very highest quality.

#1 SRH gives a masterclass in chasing big totals

Dhawan and Williamson scored 92 and 83 runs respectively as they put on an unbeaten 176-run partnership.

When a team is faced with a daunting target such as SRH were needing to get today, especially with Rishabh Pant playing a gem of an innings, more often than not, the match is all but over at the half-way stage with the opposition weighed down by the pressure of the big target.

But never did Kane Williamson & co let the required run-rate get out of reach during their run-chase with the skipper himself leading from the front alongside Shikhar Dhawan with the duo putting on an unbeaten 176-run partnership for the second wicket that helped SRH chase down the target quite easily.

What was even more impressive was the manner in which they went about the run-chase as they resorted to classy shots and took very risks in their respective knocks. Both deserved a hundred for their efforts but it was still a terrific effort no doubt from SRH's premier batting duo.