Sunrisers Dominate Delhi, Securing Second Place with Record-Breaking Performances In IPL 2024
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) set a formidable target of 266 for 7 against Delhi Capitals. Led by Travis Head’s explosive 89, Shahbaz Ahmed’s unbeaten 59*, and Abhishek Sharma’s quick 46, SRH’s batting lineup delivered a commanding performance.
Sunrisers initially had 300 in their sights, but even 266 proved to be too much for the Capitals.
Delhi Capitals 199 (Fraser-McGurk 65, Pant 44, Natarajan 4-19, Reddy 2-17, Markande 2-26) were defeated by Sunrisers Hyderabad 266 for 7 (Head 89, Shahbaz 59*, Abhishek 46, Kuldeep 4-55) by 67 runs.
If it had happened the previous season, 266 for 7 would have been the highest IPL total ever, but on Saturday night in Delhi, it felt almost anticlimactic. This season, Sunrisers Hyderabad have shifted the window of batting opportunities just that far. Although it was the fourth-highest total in IPL history, Sunrisers’ tally in IPL 2024 was only the third-highest.
There was a moment when it seemed like they could have done so much more, and 300 was incredibly likely. With Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma scoring an incredible six-over total of 125 for no loss, the Sunrisers had achieved something in a T20 powerplay that no side in any league had ever achieved before. With the field limitations loosened, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel helped to return Sunrisers’ innings to earth, but that breathtaking start would always be remembered as the pivotal moment of the game.
Delhi Capitals started their response quickly, reaching the second-highest powerplay total of the 2024 Indian Premier League, albeit with just an 88 for 2. Although Jake Fraser-McGurk reached the fastest half-century of the season by surpassing Head’s 16-ball score by one ball, the match was all but lost when he was dismissed in the seventh over.
When the Sunrisers started their chase, the Capitals had hinted that they would run them close, but they collapsed miserably in the second half of the innings due to some outstanding defensive bowling from T Natarajan. They were ultimately bowled out for a symbolic 199, with Rishabh Pant being the last man out after failing to find the middle of the bat for 44 off 35 balls.
Best Ever Powerplay In IPL History
The match’s opening over, which ended up scoring the fewest runs during Sunrisers’ powerplay, went for 19.
At the six-over point, Head was batting on 84 off 26 balls, and his opening partner, Abhishek, was scoring far more quickly than he was, with 40 off 10 at that point.
The striking was a ceaseless haze that didn’t appear to be stopped by any line, length, or bowling style. The surface at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, where the season was being played, was so true, and the two openers were so determined to hit every ball to the boundary. The Capitals could have given themselves a sarcastic pat on the back for bowling no wides or no-balls in the 36 balls they bowled during the powerplay; 13 went for four and 11 for six.
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Kuldeep And Axar Turned The Match In The Middle
In addition, Abhishek scored six runs off the game’s first non-powerplay ball when he stepped out to Kuldeep and completed his shot even though it did not reach the ball’s pitch. This had also occurred in the fifth over, off the same bowler, and it appeared to confirm to the bowlers for the Capitals that they were in serious trouble.
Axar, diving, intercepted an uppish drive at cover, but sometimes a wicket may appear out of nowhere, particularly if the batters are going for everything. This was the case from the following ball.
Prior to Heinrich Klaasen, who is better known for being a spin hitter, Aiden Markram was ranked third. He fell in the same over after smashing a shortish, wide ball from Kuldeep straight to cover. However, occasionally even a regular wristspinner ball may exhibit peculiar behavior, such as remaining in the pitch a little longer or bouncing a little bit more than anticipated.
After Klaasen hammered him for two sixes, Kuldeep’s worth was highlighted once more in his subsequent over when Head was unable to get hold of a ball that was just too short to pull. Although he had comfortably dismissed that length in the powerplay, a guy was back at long-on and had gone out for 89 off 32.
Although Klaasen is an expert at pulling distances that aren’t quite pullable against the spinners, on that particular day, he was bowled by an Axar skidder that beat his inside edge. In 9.1 overs, Sunrisers scored an incredible 154 for 4.
Reddy And Shahbaz Provided The Finishing Touch
Because of the number of runs they had already scored and the amount of time left in their innings, Sunrisers’ fifth-wicket combination could afford to bat somewhat conservatively and ensure that their specialist death-overs hitter, Abdul Samad, wouldn’t be called upon too soon. This was accomplished by Shahbaz Ahmed and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who scored 67 off 47 balls.
At the end, Shahbaz found his rhythm, hitting two sixes off Khaleel Ahmed in the 19th over and two fours and a six off Mukesh Kumar in the 20th to end on 59 off 29 balls without losing. The Bengal all-rounder’s IPL fifty came at that time.
Fraser Gave Delhi Some Hope
In a duel of Impact Players, Prithvi Shaw smacked Washington Sundar for 4, 4, 4, 4 off the first four balls of the chase. Then Washington exacted revenge, looping up a delivery with plenty of overspin – a ball that is rarely seen in Twenty20 cricket, but one that is delivered now in an attempt to stop the run flow and force him to mishit a lofted hit out of desperation to somehow prise out a wicket.
The tone for the Capitals’ powerplay was set by the first over. They also lost David Warner early on, but Fraser-McGurk knows no other way, so they persevered fiercely because they had to. On the day, his unrestricted, smooth golf swing was in perfect rhythm, and Washington, tasked with bowling two powerplay overs, was dealt a brutal 4, 4, 6, 4, 6, 6 in the third over. After that, in a 20-run fifth over, Abishek Porel cut Pat Cummins through and over the off side with impunity, and the Capitals were somehow managing to stay in the game.
Even though Fraser-McGurk mishit an over in the seventh over against Mayank Markande, the Capitals’ chances of winning continued to increase when Porel struck three fours and a six off Shahbaz in the following over. Given the aim they were chasing, the forecaster gave them an astounding 21.23% chance of winning at that time.
But that was pretty much it, as their run-scoring came to an end when Porel was stumped in the ninth over by Markande, who performed similarly to Kuldeep in that he conceded runs but also created just enough false shots with his wristspin.
The Capitals failed to make any headway due in part to the day’s struggles for fluency experienced by Pant and Tristan Stubbs, as well as the excellent bowling of Natarajan, Cummins, and Reddy, who all varied their pace nicely while bowling into the pitch. They managed just 68 runs in 67 balls from the beginning of the ninth over to the completion of their innings. When Natarajan finished with stats of 4 for 19 after taking three wickets in the 19th over, the match was long over as a game.
Pant’s View On Delhi Capitals’ Loss
The Delhi Capitals anticipated that dew might be a factor later in the evening when they decided to bat in their opening IPL 2024 match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. This implies that a target of about 220 would have been attainable. But Sunrisers Hyderabad, who got the balls to grip on the surface and won by 67 runs to take second place in the points table, benefited from the lack of dew during the chase.Â
The captain of the Delhi Capitals acknowledges that his side had to play catch-up from the powerplay.
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The Capitals captain, Rishabh Pant, stated during the post-game press conference, “The only thought process behind [opting to bowl at the toss] was we thought there will be a bit of dew, which did not come.” “We still had a chance if we could have limited them to 220-230. In the second inning, [the ball] stopped more [on the surface] than we had predicted. However, it provides bowlers confidence to defend 260–270.”
Once again, Sunrisers rode high on the outstanding power-hitting performance of openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, who amassed the greatest powerplay score in men’s T20 cricket history—125 for 0. After hitting his first IPL century in the previous round, Head struck 89 off 32 balls, but Abhishek fell for a 12-ball 46 as Sunrisers scored 266 for 7, their third 250+ total in IPL 2024. Pant said, “I believe that one of the differences was powerplay.” “They got 120-130 runs in the powerplay and we were catching up throughout the match.”
As his openers dominated the opposition, SRH captain Pat Cummins had conflicting emotions. “Part of me is very excited and elated, but the other thinks I will have to bowl on this later,” he stated. “Amazing, every game they keep delivering and keep playing the way we want to.”
In the match, 213 runs were scored in the powerplay throughout the course of both innings, setting another record for T20 cricket. In their pursuit of 267, the Capitals thrashed to 88 for 2, and Cummins said that the pitch came into play as soon as the ball got old.
“We saw in the powerplay, there was not much in it for the bowlers for both sides,” he stated. The ball softened and began to hold a little bit as the game progressed. However, 200 plays or more indicate that it’s a solid batting wicket.
“Normally, dew makes it difficult to hold onto the ball. It continues to slide. However, there was some grip present, so perhaps it contributed as well.”
With four wickets for nineteen, T Natarajan spearheaded Sunrisers’ attack with the ball and achieved his highest T20 stats. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Mayank Markande both returned two wickets, and Cummins was happy with the discipline the bowlers displayed.
“Very pleased with our final product. Everyone was quite skilled in their fields and knew how to bowl, and they all performed well under pressure. It was really disciplined. They were attempting to hit a six on every ball, so it was difficult.”
Bhuvneshwar On SRH Batters
Natarajan’s performance was praised by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the head of the SRH bowling attack, in their fifth victory in seven games. Because of his strong yorker and change of pace, Natarajan made it difficult for the Capitals’ hitters to line up against him.
“We are aware of his skill with Yorkers,” Bhuvneshwar remarked following the game. “He is an industrious worker who often goes unnoticed. He is a quiet man.” But having played for SRH for so long, he is a star for us. We are aware of his significance to us; he is undoubtedly a match-winner.”
In the IPL, SRH was renowned for using their bowling to win games for many years. Their batsmen are hitting in sync, though, and Bhuvneshwar—who took 1 for 33 in his four overs—was content that the bowlers were taking a backseat for once. However, he had a warning for them as well.
“For so many years, this is possibly the first time our batting is clicking so much,” he stated. As bowlers, we are content to step aside and let the hitters do the heavy lifting while still managing to defend a sizable lead. It will be difficult for us bowlers to defend those if we score 180–200 mentally in one of the games; they are really hurting us. However, it’s fantastic to see how they are batting.
“You either go for a lot of runs or you get teams out within 150 when you are defending those many runs. We acknowledge that you can score a lot of runs when you defend a lot of runs.”
