IPL 2018, SRH vs RR: Hits and Misses

The 4th game of the IPL was absolutely a one-sided affair as Sunrisers Hyderabad dominated the proceedings. Put into bat first, Rajasthan Royals did start well but lost their way completely as they could only manage 125. Sanju Samson was the top-scorer with 49. All the SRH bowlers were brilliant and had some very identical records in T20 cricket.

Chasing a tricky target of 126, SRH got off to a good start despite losing Wriddhiman Saha. Dhawan went after anything that was in his zone. He eventually remained unbeaten and scored a superb 77 (in 57 balls).

Kane Williamson played the role of second-fiddle to perfection where he fed Dhawan more of the strike. Ultimately, SRH won with 25 balls remaining against RR.

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#5 Hit: Siddarth Kaul

Siddarth Kaul gave away just 9 runs in his last 3 overs

After forming a successful partnership with Bhuvneshwar Kumar last season, Siddarth Kaul was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad this year. He was one of the key bowlers for SRH in the last season and he took 16 wickets in 10 games at a strike-rate of 13.37.

In this game, Kaul was brought into the attack in the 7th over. RR had reached 48/1 at the end of the powerplay and were looking good. But Kaul broke the solid-looking stand between Ajinkya Rahane and Sanju Samson.

The 27-year-old dismissed Rahane in his first over. He gave away 8 runs in his first over, but gave just 9 runs in his next 3 overs and also picked up the wicket of Krishnappa Gowtham with a superb bouncer.

He finished with figures of 2/17 and was the most economical bowler of the game.

#4 Miss: D’Arcy Short

D'Arcy Short has been in phenomenal form

D’Arcy Short came into this IPL with some excellent performances not only in the Big Bash League (BBL) but also the tri-series that followed the BBL. His explosive batting has been one of the talking points this year.

He scored 572 runs in 11 innings in the BBL at an average 57.20 and a strike-rate of 148.57. And based on these BBL performances, Short got an Australian call-up after key players were rested. In the T20I tri-series, he played 5 games, he scored 196 runs at an average of 49.00 and a strike-rate of almost 150. He also struck a couple of good half-centuries.

He was picked by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 4 crore in this year’s auction. And with Steve Smith not there, Short got his opportunity and made his IPL debut in this game.

He faced the third delivery of the innings and softly nudged it to mid-wicket. But the next legal delivery that he faced, Short elegantly whipped a half-volley through square-leg to get off the mark in IPL cricket.

However, his debut was cut short as he was undone by Kane Williamson’s brilliance in the field. Short tapped to mid-off and set off for a single, but Williamson’s direct hit caught the 27-year-old Australian short of his crease. Short also bowled a couple of overs but was unable to break the Dhawan-Williamson stand.

#3 Hit: SRH spinners

Rashid Khan bowled an economical spell (1/23)

On a pitch that was holding up a touch, spinners were going to play a key role in the game. Shakib Al Hasan was introduced early as he bowled a couple of overs in the powerplay. He gave 6 runs in each of the two overs he bowled in the powerplay and kept things really tight.

He then came back in the middle overs to finish his spell and continued from where he left off. He was tight, stump-to-stump and didn’t allow the batsmen to get away. He also picked up a couple of key wickets in his final over. Both Sanju Samson and Rahul Tripathi were dismissed by Shakib.

Meanwhile, No. 1 ranked T20I spinner, Rashid Khan started superbly as he gave just one run in his first over. Even after he was hit for 2-3 boundaries in his next couple of overs, Rashid Khan came back very well to dismiss the dangerous Jos Butler. He also gave just 2 runs in his final over (18th over of the innings).

Though the two of them (SRH spinners – Rashid Khan and Shakib Al Hasan) didn’t quite bowl in tandem but every time they had the ball in hand, they tried to contain and also pick wickets.

#2 Miss: Ajinkya Rahane

Rahane had a rare off game

Ajinkya Rahane has been in and out of the Indian limited-overs sides. The last T20 international game that Rahane played was in the 2-match series against West Indies held in the USA in 2016.

After Steve Smith was banned by Cricket Australia (CA), Rahane was made the captain of the Rajasthan Royals side. He opened the batting alongside D’Arcy Short but the latter was run out in the very first over of the game.

The Indian Test vice-captain continued to pick gaps and kept the scoreboard ticking. He kept giving the strike to Sanju Samson, who was looking very good.

However, Rahane was dismissed by Siddarth Kaul in the 7th over and walked back to the pavilion for just 13. While fielding, Rahane was not up to the mark as well. Standing at first slip, he dropped a sitter in the first over. It allowed Shikhar Dhawan to get set and get a big one.

#1 Hit: Shikhar Dhawan

Dhawan batted with an excellent strike-rate on a two-paced pitch

Ever since last year’s IPL, Shikhar Dhawan has cemented the opening spot at least in limited-overs cricket. After scoring 479 runs in the last season and with KL Rahul injured, Dhawan got to open the batting at the Champions Trophy and was brilliant. And since then he hasn’t looked back. He’s continued his form nicely.

In the absence of star player David Warner, Dhawan was always going to be the key. He was going to be the aggressor at the top of the order. Chasing a target of 126 can get tricky at times. But the Delhi opener hit a wonderful half-century. Yes, he was dropped in the first over, but he made full use of the opportunity.

On a pitch which was a little two-paced, Dhawan batted superbly as he struck a fine 77 to help SRH chase down the total. After the early loss of Wriddhiman Saha, Dhawan along with Williamson ensured there was no more damage as the 32-year-old got to his 29th IPL half-century.

He struck 13 fours and 1 six and shared an unbeaten 121-run stand to guide SRH home in the 4th game of this tournament.