Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Match 36 Match Summary

Gear up for a Super Sunday - And... breathe. It was a highly entertaining start to the weekend, but this might as well be just the trailer. Sunday, 26th April, brings another double header. The day begins in Chepauk as the Chennai Super Kings host the Gujarat Titans, with the first ball being scheduled for 3.30 pm IST (10 am GMT). Then, the action will shift to the Ekana Stadium for the battle between the two teams languishing at the bottom. Lucknow Super Giants welcome Kolkata Knight Riders with the first ball set for 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT). But as usual, our buildup will begin well in advance, so do join us for that as well. Until then, we sign off. Cheers.

A historic Saturday - Just another day in the IPL when the bat dominated the ball completely. The day game saw history being rewritten. Punjab Kings scaled down an enormous target of 265 with seven balls to spare, making it the highest successful run chase in IPL history. Delhi Capitals were left absolutely shellshocked by what hit them in their defence. An aggregate of 529 runs across both innings, with everyone forgetting the count of how many times the ball sailed over the ropes. And come the evening game, the Sunrisers unleashed arguably their best performance this season, not with the ball, but with the bat. They chased down 229 against the Royals like it was just another routine task, with 9 balls to spare. But with history, that left a stain as well. Across both games, a plethora of catches were dropped by each and every team that took the field, which eventually cost them a lot.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - SRH's Ishan Kishan collects the award for his outstanding knock of 74 runs off just 31 balls. Ishan reckons that it was a good wicket to bat on and that the aim was to restrict RR below 230, which they managed. Adds that he enjoyed leading the side in the first 7 games, and with Pat Cummins back, the team gains extra bowling strength. Kishan highlights the importance of a strong Powerplay and says he and Abhishek Sharma were calm and clear about the required rate, with their partnership setting things up. Speaking about his approach, he says the skillset is always there, and it is about being in the right headspace, watching the ball and finding gaps to keep the scoreboard moving. When asked if this is the best he has batted, Kishan says the best is yet to come.

The captain of the Sunrisers Hyderabad - Pat Cummins says that he is really happy with the win. Adds that the outcomes are never certain heading into the first game, no matter how solid the preparations have been. On being asked about where the bowlers will go, he admits there are no easy answers, jokingly adding that they need to start working on their batting instead. He notes that the high-scoring nature of the game worked in their favour, with the belief that even a couple of bad overs could be offset by bouncing back and making an impact. He references it to Praful Hinge, who made a good comeback after going for plenty of runs. On the young Indian seamers, he is full of praise, saying they have been awesome. He credits Ishan for leading them beautifully in his absence, and also singles out Harshal and Jaydev for starting the season on a strong note. About the discussions at the halfway stage, Cummins reveals that they were actually quite calm. Says that RR could've got something around 250 with the way they start. So, he adds that they took 228 with both hands. Highlights that they got off to a flyer in the Powerplay, which shrunk the asking rate to just 10 runs per over. He singles out Abhishek and Ishan for the manner in which they put the chase to bed, before signing off by calling it a really good win to take.

... Time for the post-match presentation ...

SRH's Abhishek Sharma is next to talk - He says it feels great to be on the winning side and contribute. He admits he had a bit of luck along the way but felt the pitch was good for batting and that RR were 15-20 runs short. Abhishek shares that the plan was to create room against Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger to disrupt their line and lengths. He further says that the way Ishan led in the first 7 games meant they never really felt the absence of Pat Cummins.  Sharma says that with Cummins back, his experience and the way he handles the key overs bring added confidence to the side. Abhishek also says he enjoys playing at the Wankhede and is looking forward to the next game there.

The captain of the Rajasthan Royals - Riyan Parag says they executed well from a skill standpoint, but dropped a few catches. Opines that you cannot afford to give quality batters second chances and admits they could have been better in the field. Parag says they need to be more clinical, with fielding playing a major role. He adds that they will look to step up in the next game, use the day’s break to mentally refresh, and come back stronger. Riyan feels they left around 10-15 runs on the table but credits the opposition for bowling well in the death. On the late introduction of Bishnoi, Parag explains that with two left-handers at the crease, he felt he and Donovan Ferreira had a better chance of picking up wickets. He also believes that the surface was not particularly spin-friendly and that his plan to manage the four overs did not quite come off. Pirag says that every venue and game is different, and it is about adapting accordingly, saying they will assess things fresh heading to New Chandigarh.

Sooryavanshi's fun in Jaipur - Jaipur had barely recovered from the historic run carnival in Delhi when the Rajasthan Royals walked out and made the ground their personal batting range. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi faced 37 balls. He scored 103 runs. The mathematics alone should be unsettling for every bowling attack in this tournament. But what makes it threatening for bowlers is the manner of it, swatting international-class bowlers to all corners. Dhruv Jurel was the ideal partner, anchoring one end with a responsible fifty, while Sooryavanshi did what Sooryavanshi does in their 112-run stand. Eshan Malinga and Pat Cummins were the only bowlers who left the field with any respite, conceding 65 between them across 8 overs. The rest were taken apart. The Sunrisers did fight back in the death overs to trim the total somewhat.

Plans fall flat - Rajasthan were let down by lackadaisical fielding and a second line of attack that offered precious little after the Archer-Burger opening burst. Runs kept leaking at an alarming rate, and while they did eventually prise Kishan out, the game had long slipped from their fingers by then. Also, holding someone of Jadeja's and Ravi Bishnoi's calibre to just a solitary over each didn't help their cause either. Klaasen read the situation well, staying watchful with the chase well in hand before branching out into calculated aggression when the moment called for it, teaming up nicely with Nitish Kumar Reddy with a minimum of fuss. Though neither of them could get the job done, it was too little too late for the Royals to bring any sort of twist in the game.

Abhishek-Ishan duo leave RR rattled - Chasing a mountain, SRH lost Travis Head in the very first over as Burger and Archer came roaring in with hostile spells and sharp bounce. But Abhishek Sharma had absolutely no intention of going quietly. Jadeja grassed a sitter to hand him a lifeline, and he made Rajasthan pay in the most brutal fashion. Ishan Kishan kept the scoreboard ticking nicely at the other end, and together, the pair feasted on anything remotely loose. The two set the stage ablaze with a breathless 132-run stand before Abhishek was finally fished out, not before smashing a fifty.

Orange is the colour of joy - The Orange Army dominate the Men in Pink in the Pink City in the most astounding fashion. With SRH hunting down 229 like a walk in the park, this is now the 4th highest successful run chase in IPL history. This marks the fourth win in a row for the Sunrisers and the first one while chasing, having won all their previous games while defending. And they are proving a lot of experts wrong with the way they have gone about this season. They leapfrog the Royals and claim the third spot in the points table.

SIX! Salil Arora finishes things off with a nonchalant hit. SRH win by 5 wickets and make it four wins in a row. Full and sliding onto the pads from around the wicket, Salil keeps a still head and plays the pick-up shot off the pads without any fuss. It sails over the deep square leg fence for a biggie.

Hits the hard length, over off. Aniket arches back and plays the ramp with an open bat face for a single.

Wide! Sprayed down leg, on a length. Aniket Verma is beaten for pace on the glance.

Honing in on the off stump, on a good length. Salil angles it behind point for a single.

And all of a sudden, SRH have lost both the set batters in the same over. With only 9 runs needed in 12 balls, Aniket Verma walks in at number 7. Nandre Burger (3-0-41-0) will bowl the penultimate.

OUT! CAUGHT! Not the best of balls, but Brijesh Sharma will take it. Brijesh goes searching for the yorker, but it comes out as a high full toss, on middle. Klaasen swings across the line but does not quite go hard at it. He just shovels it to deep square leg, where Ravi Bishnoi runs in off the ropes and gets low out in front to take the catch. Klaasen has been asked to wait as the umpires want to check the height of the full toss. The ball is below the waist, and it is a fair delivery. Heinrich cannot finish the job himself. SRH lose their 5th wicket and are left needing 9 runs from 12 balls.

Wide given. A marginal call, but it goes in favour of the batter. Brijesh Sharma is not happy with it, and Riyan Parag sends it upstairs. Flirting with the tramline, on a length, Heinrich Klaasen lets it through to the keeper. Klaasen had not moved, and some part of the ball is inside the wide guideline. It is a fair delivery.

Low full toss, tailing back in at the off stump. Heinrich Klaasen just angles the drive to Riyan Parag at a catching cover position.

Another well-executed yorker, on middle. Salil bunts it out to long on for a single.

Too little too late for the Royals. But Brijesh at least gets something to smile. Salil Arora is in at number 6.

OUT! LBW! Struck on the boot, and the finger is raised. A searing yorker by Brijesh Sharma with a bit of tail back in at the toes. Nitish Kumar Reddy hurriedly drops his bat, but he is late in doing so. The ball goes under the bat and strikes Reddy on the left boot. Reddy reviews almost immediately. No bat is involved on UltraEdge, and the Ball Tracking has the ball crashing into the leg pole. The on-field decision is upheld, and Reddy is given the marching orders. SRH are 219/4, needing 10 more runs.

SIX! Into the stands! Brijesh Sharma bowls the leg-cutter into the surface, over middle. This sits up to be hit, just below the chest. Nitish Kumar Reddy hangs back and unleashes the pull way over square leg for a biggie. The 50-run stand comes up between this pair.

FOUR! In the gap! Deshpande gets the line wrong as he serves a low full toss, slanting into the right-hander. Heinrich Klaasen hangs low to take the ball on the full and whips it all along the ground. Picks the gap between deep mid-wicket and long on for a four. 20 runs from the over. 16 more needed for SRH.

Deshpande responds well as he slips in the yorker, on middle. NKR jams it out to cover and takes a single.

SIX! A skimmer from Reddy. Deshpande digs it in short but takes pace off, outside off. It comes at shoulder height to Reddy, who stands up tall on his toes and pulls it to the right of deep mid-wicket for a flat six.

Full and skidding through, around the off stump. Reddy shanks it off the inner half of the bat but it goes right between deep mid-wicket and long on. That allows him to sneak in the second run.

Stays full, on off and middle. Klaasen swings hard at it but the bat turns in his hand. He gets it past the bowler's right and picks up a single.

SIX! Incredible shot! Deshpande goes full, on the off stump. Heinrich Klaasen clears the front leg slightly and collapses his back knee. He opens up the front hip to go inside out over cover for a six.

Tushar Deshpande (2-0-23-0) returns into the attack. SRH need 36 runs from 24 balls.