Yuvraj Singh's Innings Changed Match Around For SRH vs KKR: Aakash Chopra

Yuvraj Singh walked into bat at the Ferozeshah Kotla with Sunrisers Hyderabad struggling to get any momentum going. But former India opener Aakash Chopra said the left-hander's knock was what changed SRH's fortunes around against Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League Eliminator on Wednesday.

David Warner and Moises Henriques fell on consecutive balls to leave SRH at 71/3 after 10 overs. However, Yuvraj smashed a 30-ball 44 to wrestle the momentum away from KKR and power Hyderabad to 162/8.

"Yuvraj Singh turned the clock back vs KKR. His was a match-changing innings," Chopra told NDTV.

The southpaw's innings was sprinkled with eight fours and a six and showcased his power-hitting skills that made him a force to reckon with on the international stage.

Yuvraj's knock was backed up by a sterling bowling display, especially from Bangladeshi sensation Mustafizur Rahman and current purple cap holder Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Their death bowling prowess choked Kolkata's batting in the end, handing SRH a 22-run win.

Mustafizur didn't take any wickets but bowled a miserly spell that saw him end with figure of 0/28 in four overs. Bhuvneshwar, though, made up for his partner's blank in wickets column but picking three wickets, giving away just 19 runs from his four overs.

"SRH's Bhuvneshwar and Mustafizur are best death bowling pair," said the former India opener.

Chopra also pointed to Andre Russell's absence being a huge setback for KKR and criticised Gautam Gambhir's decision to include R Sathish in the squad.

"Andre Russell's absence against SRH was huge for KKR. R Sathish hasn't been a sensational but was still used by Gautam Gambhir. It back-fired. Gambhir was cagey with his captaincy. He could have tried Sheldon Jackson," said Chopra.

The Sunrisers will now take on Gujarat Lions in a virtual semifinals, with the winner taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final on Sunday.