Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Delhi Capitals, Match 31 Match Summary

Onto the next one - Another night filled with batting carnage ends in Hyderabad, and the Sunrisers have now started to fire on all cylinders, with shades of that 2024 season visible as well. Next up, we move to Lucknow, where the Super Giants will be taking on the Rajasthan Royals in yet another crucial battle. That game will be played on Wednesday, 22 April and will begin at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT). However, as usual, you can join us a lot sooner for the build-up as well. ADIOS! TAKE CARE!

POTM - Abhishek Sharma - Abhishek Sharma has been given the accolade for his sensational unbeaten knock of 135 off 68 balls and a couple of catches as well. Sharma says they had a plan to maximise the Powerplay, but the wicket was a bit slow, so they had to reassess and keep the match-ups in mind while trying to make the most of that phase. Abhishek calls it a special moment to score at this venue and adds that you never quite know the par score until the 20th over is done. He says he wanted to entertain the crowd and makes a special mention of the coaches and the captain for giving him the freedom to express himself. Sharma credits the environment created in this team in 2024 as a game-changer and says the aim has been to grow as a team. On his celebration, he says it is a show of love for the fans, who have supported them not just at the ground but even back at the hotel. Abhishek shares that it is a special moment with his parents present, while his sister, who is unwell, is missing, and he dedicates the innings to her. He says that since his Under-12 days, his father has been watching him closely and guiding him on how to play. He adds that it is an incredible feeling, with his father constantly observing him while he looks back for those instructions.

All the credit goes to Abhishek - Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper, Ishan Kishan, says that looking at how Abhishek Sharma batted throughout the innings and the way Heinrich Klaasen finished things off, a lot of credit goes to them, as it was a wicket where the old ball was difficult to get away. Adds that they take it one match at a time and they have natural hitters in the team, but look to take 2-3 balls to assess things and play their natural game. On using Harsh Dubey late in the game, Kishan said he just tried to get that cushion, as it seemed like the spinners were a bit easier to get away, and he had already told Dubey that he would be bowling the difficult overs at the death, no matter what.

... The Presentation ceremony ...

SRH hit their mark with the bat - Earlier in the game, Axar Patel won yet another toss and opted to field. Sunrisers Hyderabad didn't mind it much as they do like batting first, and Abhishek Sharma came out all guns blazing. Travis Head didn't quite find his timing but still managed to get a few boundaries away as the openers piled on 97 quick runs for the first wicket. Delhi Capitals looked vulnerable with the ball, and the lapses in the field didn't help them either. Only Axar Patel managed to take a wicket as Abhishek Sharma went on to score a big, unbeaten ton as Heinrich Klaasen blitzed his way to an eighth consecutive score of 30 or more in the IPL, finishing with an unbeaten 37 off just 13 balls.

Let's now hear from SRH's star bowler - Eshan Malinga says he is very happy with his performance and thanks his teammates for their support. Eshan mentions that he came in with the same plan as the last game, with reverse swing coming into play. Shares that he focused on staying calm, doing the basics right and executing his plans. Malinga says that he worked with Lasith Malinga over the last couple of months with the national side and learned a lot from him. On the promise shown by Sakib Hussain, he calls him a brilliant bowler with great potential and believes he will go a long way.

Need to give credit where due - Delhi Capitals' skipper Axar Patel says they could have halted Abhishek Sharma’s charge had they taken the run-out chance and held on to that catch. Axar believes that even with good execution, when a batter scores big, you have to give credit, and that is the message he passed on to his bowlers. Patel opines that fielding is something within their control, and it is important to support the bowlers in the field, especially when things are not going their way. The DC skipper says they have not thought about any team changes and believes the side is doing well on both fronts. He adds that this can be treated as an off day on a surface like this and stresses the need to move on and forget it quickly.

The Capitals look a bit unpolished - Delhi Capitals have blown hot and cold throughout the 2026 season so far, and a few frailties with the ball and up top with the bat are costing them games. They lost an early wicket and then forged a decent comeback via an 86-run stand between KL Rahul and Nitish Rana, with the latter notching up a quick half-century as well. Then came the slump, 107/1 became 107/4 in a flash, and it was a mountain too high to climb from there. Sameer Rizvi and Tristan Stubbs did add another fifty-plus stand, but with the pressure mounting, Delhi kept losing wickets and ended up falling short of the 200-run mark as well.

Bowling attack coming to the fore - We have seen SRH chop and change their pacers this season, and once again today, we saw the addition of Dilshan Madushanka in place of Praful Hinge. However, over the last 3 games, the changes they are making in the bowling department seem to be working. Eshan Malinga has now transformed himself into SRH's lead pacer, and he had another stellar outing with a four-wicket haul. Madushanka too bowled well up top, and Sakib Hussain showed promise yet again, bowling in different phases of the game. The cherry on top was Harsh Dubey picking up 3 wickets in the final over and sealing a big win for the home side.

A hat-trick of wins - Sunrisers Hyderabad win their third game on the bounce, and they are quickly rising up the table now with 4 wins from 7 games. As for the Delhi Capitals, their inconsistent run continues, and they now have 3 wins and 3 losses to their name in 6 matches as well.

OUT! TAKEN! Sunrisers Hyderabad complete a 47-run win and make it three victories in a row. Full and speared in from around the wicket by Dubey. Ngidi goes for the slog sweep. He does not quite get hold of it. Dilshan Madushanka sprints to his left at deep mid-wicket and stretches his hands out in that direction. He completes the catch neatly this time. Harsh Dubey finishes with 3 wickets to his name.

OUT! CAUGHT! Dilshan Madushanka just about hangs on. Harsh Dubey has his second wicket. Full and going across the right-hander from over the wicket. Rizvi sinks to a knee and has a slog across the line. He gets no power on the shot and drags it straight down the throat of deep mid-wicket. Madushanka bends and snatches at it slightly as he looks to take the catch close to his chest. The ball nearly pops out, but he manages to cling to it. Lungi Ngidi is the new man in.

Leg bye! Shorter and quicker, on middle, Kuldeep steps out to flick it away. Gets beaten on the inside edge and gets hit high on the front pad. The batters cross for a leg bye as the ball dribbles to the off side.

This is dropped short by Dubey, on off. Sameer stands tall and smacks it with a flat bat toawrds long off. Heinrich Klaasen gets around to his right and tidies up. Just a single.

Half a shout for LBW. Full and pushed through, just outside the off stump. Kuldeep plants his front foot across for the sweep but the ball goes under the bat to catch him on the front pad. A leg bye is sneaked in as the ball drops beside the strip on the leg side. However, it is given as runs off the bat in the end.

Kuldeep Yadav walks out to bat now.

OUT! CAUGHT! One left-arm finger spinner gets the better of the other. On a good length, a bit of turn, on middle. Patel looks to go with the turn. He clears the front leg, but the ball comes on slower than he expected. Axar plays it well in front of his body as he swings across. He holes out to deep mid-wicket, where Nitish Kumar Reddy gobbles it up.

All the pacers are bowled out. Will it be Harsh Dubey or Shivang Kumar to bowl the last over? It is the more experienced Dubey who will bowl the last over.c

Nearly sneaked through! Hussain drags the length back and gets the ball to skid through, on middle. Patel hurriedly drops his bat down and dabs it behind point for a single. Sakib continues his good form in the IPL, ending with 4-0-29-1 on the night.

Low full toss, on off. Rizvi brings his bat out in front and hits it to long off for another single.

Around the pads, slightly too straight, Patel jabs it in front of square on the leg side for one.

Takes pace off again and keeps it around off, on the shorter side. Rizvi goes deep in the crease and guides it through third man for a single.

Off-cutter, on a short of a length, on middle. The ball spins back in to Rizvi, who chops it down.

Full and on off. Rizvi plays the drive with a high elbow to the right of the man at deep point. He has to hurry to complete the second run but he gets home.

Axar Patel walks out to bat next.

OUT! CAUGHT! Ashutosh has been outfoxed by Malinga, who finishes his spell in the best possible fashion. Serves the off-cutter, on a length, outside off. Ashutosh Sharma reaches out but fails to pick the change of pace. He swings early and gets it only as far as long on, where Aniket Verma runs in off the ropes and slides to complete the catch. End of another impressive outing from Eshan. Finishes with figures of 4-0-32-4

Superb execution! This yorker keeps tailing back into the right-hander, on middle. Ashutosh cannot do much about it. He digs it out beside the strip on the off side.

Wide! An off-cutter, well wide on off. Sharma lets it through.

Wide! Malinga comes up with the slower, short ball, over middle. Sharma arches back to play the ramp over the keeper but misses. It is deemed too high and the umpire calls it a wide.

FOUR! Dilshan Madushanka should have done better. Full and at pace, on off. Sharma swings for the hills and the ball goes off an inside edge to short fine leg. Dilshan dives to his left but the ball goes under his body and it races away.