IPL 2019, SRH v RR: 3 masterstrokes that helped SRH win against RR

In the eighth match of the tournament, Sunrisers Hyderabad hosted Rajasthan Royals at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. Rajasthan Skipper Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and decided to bat first.

Royals went with the same team while SRH made a couple of changes to their playing XI.

Rajasthan had a cautious start. They couldn't score much in the first three overs but Jos Buttler got out in the fourth over. After that, Rahane & Sanju Samson started cautiously. They didn't score many runs in first few overs but once they settled in, they started scoring freely. Rahane got out after a brilliant 70 but Samson carried on with his carnage.

He tore apart the SRH bowling line-up in death overs. Ben Stokes scored some handy runs. Samson slammed his second IPL century and Royals finished with 198/2.

In reply, Sunrisers got off to a flyer. David Warner was absolutely smashing the ball to every corner of the ground. He was complimented very well by Jonny Bairstow. Warner got out after scoring a magnificent 69 & Bairstow fell soon after that. Vijay Shankar played a brilliant cameo and made sure SRH stayed ahead in the game. Despite losing a few wickets in next few overs, SRH managed to win due to handy runs by Yusuf Pathan & Rashid Khan.

Here are the three masterstrokes by SRH to win this game.

#1 Introducing Rashid Khan in the 4th Over

Rashid is undoubtedly the biggest match winner Sunrisers Hyderabad have with the ball. He has been stalwart of their bowling attack because of his wicket-taking abilities. After 3 overs, Royals were 15/0. They got a slow start but were very cautious.

Feeling the urgency in Buttler's batting, Kane Williamson brought Rashid back in the attack in only the fourth over. Like he always does, Rashid picked up a wicket in his first over itself by scalping Buttler.

Buttler has been in terrific form and his wicket up front is always an important one for the opposition. If he stays in, he makes life hard for the opposition bowlers.

Rashid Khan has been phenomenal for SRH in executing the plans. Image Courtesy: BCCI/IPLT20.COM

Despite Samson and Rahane being set, Rashid managed to bowl his overs without going for runs. He went for only 24 runs in his 4 overs when almost every other bowler was taken to cleaners in the middle overs.

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#2 Blistering Opening Partnership

Warner getting back to his best is a big boost to SRH. Image Courtesy: BCCI/IPLT20.COM

Sunrisers Hyderabad were chasing 199. No matter how good batting conditions are, the opening partnership is always a very crucial one when you are chasing such a big score.

Warner and Bairstow did just what the doctor ordered. Not only did they laid a solid foundation for the SRH batting line-up but they scored all the runs at a frantic pace and both of them absolutely smacked Royals bowling line up all over the park.

Warner, in particular, started off with a flurry of boundaries. Off strike for the most part of the first few overs, Bairstow soon joined the party when he smacked consecutive fours.

They completed the 100 run partnership in only the ninth over. The partnership was broken in the next over but the damage was already done. This blistering opening partnership meant SRH were always ahead of the game and they never lost the control over it.

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#3 Vijay Shankar's Cameo

Shankar's score of 35 might not look a big one in the comparison to the scores of Samson & Warner but he played a huge role in SRH's win today. Shankar came into bat in 12th over when SRH needed 82 runs.

Vijay Shankar has looked more aggressive for SRH this season. Image Courtesy: BCCI/IPLT20.COM

SRH had a blistering start but they still needed over nine runs per over to win the match. Instead of trying to settle down by taking his time, Shankar went for the big shots whenever the opportunity was offered. He smacked three sixes & a four. When he didn't get the opportunity to score a boundary, he rotated the strike.

Though Shankar got out early & failed to finish the match, he made sure other batsmen had an easy job in their hands. SRH lost a couple of wickets afternoon his departure but they still managed to win quite comfortably only because of Shankar's important cameo in middle overs.

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