The game ends here. RR has had a great start to the season thus far. Click this link to watch RCB vs. MI, the second big game on Sunday.
by a score of 72 runs (RR).
It was an easy victory in the end, despite the fact that the last-wicket paid scored a few runs to make their pursuit appear little more respectable than it actually was. Chahal did the most damage with his four wickets, but Boult’s superb double-wicket maiden with the new ball set the stage. With to scores of fifty from Buttler, Jaiswal, and Samson, RR posted a total of 203; and while they may have felt hemmed in at the end of their innings, this was still more than enough to win.
Substitute impact player Abdul Samad and forward Umran Malik enjoying a good time on the field.
Chahal scores four goals
A potential early leader for the purple hat has scored four goals. Inverted and flat. Bhuvi makes a poor shot selection. The stumps are being messed with.
Chahal scores three
Adil Rashid’s brief fight – a six and a four in the two overs he stayed in the middle – ends in a tame stumping that is strangely taken upstairs. He’s completely off base! Eventually given the boot. With 81/7, SRH has to score 22 runs in the next six overs to win the match.
Mayank punches holes
Chahal comes back for a second time and takes another wicket. Mayank Agarwal saw the wicket procession from one end and now is a part of it. Flighted ball and the opener tried for a slog-sweep. The final point is the toe. No respite in sight for the hosts.
Ashwin next
Glenn Phillips came out all guns blazing, true to his white-ball reputation, with a second-ball six. But Ashiwn nipped the threat in the bud with a loopy delivery outside off that the batter compulsively drives straight into the waiting hands of extra cover. SRH are five-down now.
Holder joins the party
50th IPl wicket for Jason Holder, who’s got Washington Sundar with a short ball. The batter is cramped for room and still goes for a pull across the line. Toe-ends it and results in an easy catch eventually. SRH in all sorts of trouble at 39/4.
Chahal strikes
Harry Brook may have started with a beautiful four down the ground, but he won’t convert that start. His scratchy innings comes to an end as Chahal strikes in his very first over. Goes for a cut but the ball sneaks past his bat and crashes into the stumps. Gone for a 21-ball 13.
SRH 30/2 after PP
Boult draws first blood
Bowled him! Lovely out-swinging yorker and Abhishek Sharma has no answers. He tried to stay leg-side and dig it out but the ball swings and uproots the off stump. SRH 0-1 three balls into their chase. Oh wait. he’s got two! Superb catch in first slip from Jason Holder and SRH have lost two wickets already without even opening their account. Rahul Tripathi reviews thinking it’s a bump ball but he’s giving marching orders finally.
Back for the second innings.
RR finish with 203/5
They’d be disappointed with the back half of their innings, but they did get to 200+ eventually. Fifties from each of their top-three – Buttler, Jaiswal and Samson – set the base in the first 12 overs or so. And SRH’s comeback with the ball in the later half also hasn’t prevented them from marching to 200. Two wickets apiece to Faroooqi and Natarajan, who helped with some damage control. Back for the SRH chase in 15.
Two in two for Natarajan
A stunning boundary-line catch and balancing act from Abhishesk Sharma and Natarajan manages to remove Samson. Slower one, and Samson is early into his shot. Caught brilliantly at deep midwicket.
Wicket to Natarajan now
The time-out consumed a batter. Riyan Parag this time. Tries to heave across the line but gets a top-edge instead. Farooqi back pedals a bit to catch at short third man. Samson gets to his 50 in the same over.
Umran opens his account
Uproots Paddikkal’s off-stump with a beauty. 149kmph! Some relief for him after leaking 12 in each of first couple of overs.
Second strike
…for Farooqi. Gets the other half-centurion as well. Short ball, Jaiswal miscues his pull and is caught at deep midwicket. Goes for a well-made 54.
Fifty for Jaiswal
He slowed down a bit after the initial fireworks, saw Buttler march to a fiery fifty and then Samson took over but he’s reached his half-century too now. Off 34 balls.
Fastest 100 for RR as Samson picks up back to back fours off Umran Malik in the eight over.
Buttler gets fifty, Farooqi gets Buttler
RR’s highest PP score in IPL, bettering their 81/1 vs CSK in Abu Dhabi in 2021 as Buttler’s 20-ball fifty takes them to 85 with two balls to spare. But Farooqi gets hosts SRH a much-needed breakthrough. Buttler gets an inside edge onto the top of his off-stump. Much needed relief for SRH.
Flying start for RR
Bhuvi started off with a harmless 6-run over but is taken apart in the next. Six from Buttler and back to back fours from Jaiswal. At the other end, Fazalhaq Farooqi’s IPL career starts off with a 14-run over. Washington Sundar into the attack, and is welcomed with consecutive sixes from the English white-ball captain.
All set for live action.Jaiswal and Buttler to open, the former has first strike. Bhuvi with the new ball.
A moment’s silence to mourn the loss of the legendary Salim Durani.
Playing XIs:
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Devdutt Padikkal, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jason Holder, Trent Boult, KM Asif, Yuzvendra Chahal
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Mayank Agarwal, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Harry Brook, Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips(w), Umran Malik, Adil Rashid, Bhuvneshwar Kumar(c), T Natarajan, Fazalhaq Farooqi
TOSS: SRH opt to bowl
The four overseas players for RR are: Buttler, Holder, Boult and Hetmyer.For SRH, Farooqi, Harry Brook, Adil Rashid, Glenn Phillips
Toss coming up in 5, don’t go anywhere!
Welcome!
Game 4 of IPL 2023, and we have hosts SRH taking on Rajasthan Royals in Hyderabad.
SRH have made sweeping changes to their squad after the disappointing finish last season. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Abhishek Sharma are the sole survivors from their last home game, way back in 2019, whereas T Natarajan was on the bench. Will Brian Lara as head coach this time, they’ll be hoping to have a cracking season.
Against them are the runners-up from last year, Rajasthan Royals. Not that they had a lot of holes to plug, RR have brought on a genuine allrounder in Jason Holder at the latest auction, besides adding more depth to their spin department. The return to Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh stadium will suit their modus operandi.
Who among the two will get off to a winning start in IPL 2023? We’ll find out soon enough!
