IPL 2018: SRH defend target again; RR fails to chase 151, lose by 11 runs

Sunrisers Hyderabad bowlers kept it tight and did not leak runs. The pressure was always on Rajasthan Royals batsmen and they fell shot of 11 runs.

Sunrisers Hyderabad proved yet again that they have the best bowling unit ion the VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL 2018), as they defended 151 runs against Rajasthan Royals at their home ground at Sawai Mansingh Stadium. With this win, SRH are now comfortably placed on the second spot on the VIVO IPL points table. RR captain Ajinkya Rahane's innings could not help the team to win.

Earlier, Sunrisers Hyderabad elected to bat first and had a decent start with Williamson and Hales giving a formidable start. However, Rajasthan Royals took wickets at regular intervals and restricted SRH at 151-7. Jofra Archer took three wickets. RR will now need 152 to win.

In the 28th match of Vivo Indian Premier League (IPL 2018) Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) won the toss and elected to bat first against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur. 

The decision to bat first was an obvious one from SRh as they have defended very low totals in the previous two games and will be eyeing a hat-trick of wins in today’s first match of IPL 2018. Sunrisers Hyderabad are placed second in the Vivo IPL points table with five wins from seven games.

Rajasthan Royals innings update: over by over

Over 1: Ajinkya Rahane and Rahul Tripathi to open for Rajasthan Royals. Sandeep Sharma to start off for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Dot ball. Rahane flicks brilliantly, four runs. Good drive, straight to mid-off. Four runs from the over. RR: 4-0

Over 2: Shakib is into the attack, brilliant drive, two runs. One run to Tripathi. Dot ball. Single. Another single. Perfectly timed for four by Rahane. RR: 13-0

Over 3: Sandeep to continue, Tripathi cuts, straight to fielder. BOWLED, Tripathi stepped out and missed the ball. Sanju Samson is the new man in. Dot ball. Dot again. One run to end the over. Just one and a wicket. RR: 14-1

Over 4: Basil Thampi is the new bowler, greeted with a four. What a flic, brilliant six by Sanju. Similar shot, four more. Good old Sanju is back in his form. Chipped for two. Single to end the over. RR: 31-1

Over 5: Sandeep Sharma continues, dot ball. Singles to Sanju and Rahane. Dot ball. Very risky single that. RR: 35-1

Over 6: Siddharth Kaul to continue, Dot ball. Pushed by Rahane for one. Sanju lofts it in the air, get a four. Welcome boundary for Rajasthan. Good coer drive by Sanju for a double. Dot ball. Driven for a single. RR 43-1

Over 7: Shakib continues, Seven runs in the form of singles and doubles. RR: 50-1

Over 8: Rashid Khan comes into the attack. In the air, did not carry. One run. Driven for two. Single to Sanju. Swept well by Rahane for four. One run. RR: 60-1

Over 9: Hasan to continue, One run. Rahane pulls for four, nicely placed between two fielders. Single to Rahane. Easy one to Sanju. RR: 69-1

Over 10: Kaul is back, one run. Another single. One more. Caught, Samson is gone. Ben Stokes comes in. Dot ball. Another dot. RR: 72-2

Over 11: Yusuf Pathan is the new bowler. Stokes is BOWLED. Jos Butler is the new man in. Single. Rahane takes a single and keeps strike. RR: 77-3

Over 12: Shakib to continue, one run to Rahane. One run. Single to Rahane. Quick double. Very decent bowling by Shakib al Hasan. RR 82-3

Over 13: Yusuf continues, one run. Four, brilliant shot. Good double. Nine runs from the over. RR: 91-3

Over 14: Rahid continues, one run. Good reverse sweep by Jos Butler. One run, Rahane takes single. Another single. Dealing in singles. In the air, taken by Dhawan, Jos Butler is gone. RR 96-4

Over 15: Lomror is the men in. Sandeep Sharma continues. Dot. Risky double. Inside, not out. Lormor cuts to the fielder. One run. Cheeky double, 100 up for RR. RR: 102-4

Over 16: Rashid Khan to continue, brilliant running, two runs taken. Dot ball. Single to Rahane. Swept, just for two. Cut for one. Beautiful cut, just one. RR: 109-4

Over 17: Kaul to continue, Good shot for one. 50 for Rahane. Easy single. Driven for one. Single again. Single to end the over. RR: 116-4

Over 18: Rashid continues, Swept by Rahane for SXI, wow! Single. Swing and a miss. Single taken. Reverse sweep, missed. Swept for one. Nine off the over.  RR 125-4

Over 19: Kaul to continue, Just one, Rahane fails to pierce the in-field. In the air, SIX saved. Brilliant save. JUst two. Edged, what a stunning catch, Lomror is gone. Saha has taken a brilliant catch. Krishnappa Gowtham is the new man in. Single to him. Brilliant cut, little football skills by Shakib and boundary saved. Swing and a miss. RR: 131-5. Need 21 from 6

Over 20: Basil Thampi to bowl the final over. Gowtham on strike. Swung for four. Single taken. Rahane on strike. Single to Rahane. Straight drive, just two. In the air, out. 

 

Rajasthan Royals innings analysis after 15 overs

Chasing a modest target of 152, Rahul Tripathi and Ajinkya Rahane opened the innings for Rajasthan Royals. Sandeep Sharma came to bowl the first over and gave away only four runs. Shakib Al Hasan came to bowl the 2nd over of the innings and gave away 9 runs as Rahane hit the last ball of the over for four. Sandeep Sharma came to bowl the 3rd over and got the wicket of Rahul Tripathi and conceded only 1 run. Sanju Samson came to the crease and hit Basil Thampi for 17 runs in the 4th over of the innings. Sandeep Sharma came to bowl the 5th over and gave only 5 runs as he bowled with great line and length. Siddhartha Kaul came to bowl the last over of the powerplay and Samson played some classic shots both sides of the ground. Siddhartha Kaul gave away 8 runs in his first over.

Shakib Al Hasan came to bowl the 7th over of the innings and didn’t allow RR batsmen to score big runs, gave only 7 runs. Rashid Khan came to bowl the 8th over of the innings and bowled beautifully before Rahane hit the 5th ball for a four. Rashid conceded 10 runs. Shakib continued from the other end and conceded 9 runs. Siddhartha Kaul came to bowl the 10th over, took the prized wicket of Sanju Samson and conceded only 3 runs. Yusuf Pathan came to bowl the 11th over and got the wicket of Ben Stokes of a half tracker. Stokes again failed to contribute from the bat. Rajasthan Royals were in deep trouble as they lost a big wicket in the space of 5 balls. Jos Butler came to the crease after the wicket of Ben Stokes. Shakib Al Hasan came to bowl the 12th over and didn’t allow Rajasthan Royals to score big shots who themselves avoid to do so. Shakib gave away 5 runs in his last over of the match

Yusuf Pathan came to bowl the 13th over and Rahane paddle swept the third ball of the innings for four of the third ball. Rajasthan Royals batsmen collected 9 runs of the Pathan’s over. Rashid Khan came to bowl the 14th over and took the wicket of Jos Butler who tried to hit a big shot, a mindless shot given the match situation. Rashid conceded only 5 runs and took a prized wicket. Mahipal Lormor came to the crease after the wicket of Jos Butler. Sandeep Sharma to bowl the 15th over of the innings and only 6 runs in his last over of the match. Sandeep Sharma finished his full quota of overs with the bowling figure of 4-0-15-1.

Sunrisers Hyderabad innings update: Over by over

Over 1: Alex Hales and Shikhar Dhawan to open for SRH. Krishnappa Gowtham to start it off for RR. Flicked off the pads for one by Hales. Dhawan pushes it for one. Swing and a miss. SRH: 3-0

Over 2: D Kulkarni into that attack, four to Hales, square cut. Flicked off the pads for four. Single to Hales. Dhawan hits a cracking four on a yorker. 

Over 3: Gowtham is back, BOWLED, Dhawan plays it onto his stumps, gone for six. Kane Williamson is the new man in. One run. SRH: 20-1

Over 4: Kulkarni to continue. four, too much width given outside the off stump. SRH: 26-1

Over 5: Jofra Archer is the new bowler, Four to Williamson. Edge, another dolly dropped. Singles. That was indeed a sitter that Rahul Tripathi dripped. SRH: 33-1

Over 6: Jaydev Unadkat is the new bowler. One run. Pulled just for one. Two runs to Hales. Another double to Hales. SRH: 39-1

Over 10: Stokes continues, Cracking four by Hales. Double to Hales. SRH 70-1. THat's Halfway mark. 

Over 11: Mahipal Lomror is into the attack. One run. Another single. Dealing in singles. Four from the last ball. 78-1

Over 12: Unadkat continues, Williamson hits it over the fine leg for four. Unadkat comes out and wacks it for a six. And here is another four. Brilliant shot. Very quick double. Slashes hard, edge, over the slip for four. 50 for Williamson. SRH 99-1

Over 13: Jofra Archer continues, one run to Williamson. SIX over covers. Good shot. Brilliant fuller length ball. Eight runs came from it. SRH: 107-1

Over 14: Gowtham continues, One run. Hales it high the air, gone. Manish Pandey is the new man in. Good shot by Williamson for two. Every quick and risky double. SRH: 113-2

Over 15: Ish Sodhi is the new bowler. One run. Good shot, well fielded. Just a single. for caught behind, reviewed. There is the spike on ultraedge. Gone Sodhi gets his first wicket. Shakib al Hasan is the new man in, starts off with a four. SRH: 116-3

Over 16: Gowtham continues, Single. Straight drive, just one. Two runs for Manish with that cover drive. Dot ball. SRH: 126-3

Over 17: Ben Stokes continues. Driven straight to the fielder. Single. Qiuck double. Over the mid-off for four, good shot by Manish. Swing and a miss. SRH: 133-3

Over 18: Jofra continues. Yorker, BOWLED. Shakib is gone, he had no clue how to play it. Yusuf Pathan is the new man in. One run. Single to Manish, it was a slower one. Flicked for one by Yusuf. Yorker again, just one. Yusuf hits in the air, straight to the fielder at third man boundary. Pathan goes for two. SRH: 137-5

Over 19: Wriddhiman Saha is the new man in. Unadkat is the new bowler, one run. Two runs. Another double. In the air, Manish Pandey caught at point. He goes for 16. Rashid Khan comes in. Swing and miss. SRH: 143-6

Over 20: Archer to finish things off. Over covers for four, good shot by Saha. Flicked for one. Anoither single. They need boundaries. Inside edge, just one. 

 

Sunrisers Hyderabad innings analysis after end of innings

Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to bat first, Shikhar Dhawan and Alex Hales opened the batting for SRH. Krishnappa Gowtham bowled the first over and conceded only 3 runs as Alex Hales didn’t able to connect the ball. Dhawal Kulkarni came to bowl the 2nd over hit for a boundary of the first ball. Hales played his natural game as he pulled the third ball of the over for four. Dhawan too played some shots as he beautifully timed the 5th ball of the over for four. SRH batsmen collected 14 runs in Kulkarni first over. Gowtham continued from the other end and he got the wicket of in-form Shikhar Dhawan of the first ball. Dhawan scored 6 runs in 4 balls. Kane Williamson came to the crease after the wicket of Dhawan. Gowthan conceded only 3 runs in his 2nd over. After the end of the 3rd over, SRH were 20 for 1

Dhawal Kulkarni came to bowl the 4th over of the innings and Williamson hit the first ball for four in the point region. Kulkarni pulled it back after hitting for a boundary of the first ball and gave only 2 runs in 5 balls. Jofra Archer came to bowl the 5th over and Williamson hit the 2nd ball of the over for four. Archer came back brilliantly and got an outside edge of Williamson bat but Rahul Tripathi dropped it at the first slip as the catching apathy for Rajasthan Royals continued. SRH batsmen scored 7 runs in Archer’s first over. Jaydev Unadkat came to bowl the last over of the powerplay and started off beautifully as he gave only 6 runs in his first over.

After the end of the powerplay, Sunrisers Hyderabad scores 39 runs for the loss of 1 wicket with Kane Williamson (13 runs off 14 balls) and Alex Hales (20 runs off 18 balls) on the crease.

Ish Sodhi came to bowl the 7th over of the innings and conceded only 4 runs of the first four balls before he dragged one down and Williamson took full advantage of it and dispatched the ball to mid-wicket boundary. Sodhi gave away 9 runs in his first over. Ben Stokes came to bowl the 8th over of the innings and conceded only 6 runs as Alex Hales looked rusty and facing difficulty to score big runs. Ish Sodhi continued from the other end and Hales slog swept it to mid-wicket a brilliant attempt by Stokes as he took the catch but dropped it after his elbow hit the ground. Sodhi conceded 5 runs in the first 5 balls of the over before Williamson hit the last ball of the over for four. 

After the end of the 9th over, SRH scored 63 for the loss of 1 wicket. Kane Williamson ( 27 runs off 23 balls) and Alex Hales ( 30 runs off 27 balls).

Ben Stokes came to bowl the 10th over of the innings and Hales pulled the first ball for four in the square leg region but Stokes pulled it back as he conceded only 3 runs of the remaining 5 deliveries. Mahipal Lomror came to bowl the 11th over and kept things tight before Hales hit the last ball of the over for four in the square leg region. Lomror gave away 8 runs in his first over. Jaydev Unadkat came to bowl the 12th over and Williamson broke the shackles as he scored 14 runs of the first 3 balls, includes 2 fours and a six. Kane Williamson completed his fifty as he collected 21 runs off the over. 

After the end of the 12th over SRH were in strong position as they scored 99 runs with Williamson (50 runs off 32 balls) and Hales (43 runs off 36 balls) at the crease.

ofra Archer came to bowl the 13th over and gave only 2 runs of the first 3 balls before Williamson hit a magnificent six over the mid off. Archer gave away 8 runs in his 2nd over. Gowtham came to bowl the 14th over and got the wicket of Alex Hales conceding only 6 runs in the over. Ish Sodhi came to bowl the 15th over and gave away only 7 runs as SRH batsmen looked to accelerate but failed to do so and Williamson got perished while trying to hit a big shot. 

Gowtham continued from the other end and didn’t allow SRH batsmen to free their arms and conceded only 6 runs. Ben Stokes came to bowl the 17th over and conceded only 7 runs. Jofra Archer came to bowl the 18th over and bowled a brilliantly Yorker to get the wicket of Shakib Al Hasan. Archer also took the wicket of Yusuf Pathan and conceded only 4 runs in his 3rd over. Jaydev Unadkat came to bowl the 19th over and didn’t allow Manish Pandey and Saha to play big shot and lastly, Manish Pandey got perished to score big runs. 

Jofra Archer came to bowl the last over of the innings and Saha hit the first ball for 4 over in the cover region. While trying to hit big shots Rashid got out of the 5th ball. Sunrisers Hyderabad scored 151 for 7 wickets after the end of the 20 overs.

 

Here are the squads for both the teams:

Sunrisers Hyderabad playing XI for today' match: Shikhar Dhawan, Alex Hales, Kane Williamson(c), Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Rashid Khan, Basil Thampi, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma. Change: Alex Hales replaces Nabi.

Rajasthan Royals playing XI for today' match: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wk), K Gowtham, Jofra Archer, Mahipal Lomror, Jaydev Unadkat, Dhawal Kulkarni, Ish Sodhi. Change: Mahipal Lomror and Ish Sodhi get a game.

 

Match preview

After starting their IPL 2018 campaign on a decent note by winning three consecutive games, the Kane Williamson-led Sunrisers Hyderabad side faltered a bit, losing a couple of games against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK). SRH, however, returned to winning ways as they came out victorious against a struggling Mumbai Indians (MI) and avenged their defeat against Kings XI Punjab in their previous match. Skipper Kane Williamson has carried Hyderabad's batting on his shoulders, amassing 259 runs from seven innings with an average of 43.16. However, Shikhar Dhawan and Wriddhiman Saha have not given the required support to Hyderabad's batting. Saha has been below par with the bat with just 68 runs from seven games while Dhawan has been a bit better with 146 runs from five innings.
 
Hyderabad's strength mostly relies on their bowlers, who didn't let Bhuvneshwar Kumar's absence be felt in the game against Mumbai and Punjab. Bhuvneshwar has scalped six wickets from four games, with an economy under seven. Spinners Shakib Al Hasan and Rashid Khan have bagged eight and nine wickets each from seven games while medium pacer Siddartha Kaul has been the most impressive with nine wickets from seven games. Another medium pacer, Basil Thampi, who has featured in just a couple of games for Hyderabad, came out with a clinical show against Mumbai. The 24-year-old further maintained his form against Punjab, and has scalped four wickets conceding just 18 runs.
 
On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals will be coming after a week break and will be in search of their fourth win in today’s first match of IPL 2018. With three wins and as many defeats, Rajasthan are placed fifth with six points in Vivo IPL points table. Rajasthan Royals have a lot to worry about. Rajasthan started their IPL 2018 campaign on a poor note, hammered by Hyderabad by 9 wickets. They however, gained momentum and registered two back-to-back wins against Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Later, Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings outclassed them by seven wickets and 64 runs respectively. However, the Ajinkya Rahane-led side registered a three-wicket win over Mumbai in their previous match. Rahane has looked good but has not been converting good starts into big scores. Ben Stokes and Rahul Tripathi have been inconsistent. Sanju Samson looks good with 239 runs from six games, averaging 47.80. Rajasthan's bowlers — K Gowtham and Ben Laughlin — have performed well while leggie Shreyas Gopal has also been economical. But the trio have failed to click as a unit in a single match. Jaydev Unadkat also needs to raise his level to live to the expectations of the franchise. Overall, host Rajasthan will try to avenge their defeat against Hyderabad at Sawai Man Singh Stadium in 28^th match of IPL 2018.
 
Here are a few things to know before the Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals (SRH vs RR) match to be played at Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur, the two teams' players who could prove handy, and who has said what before the clash:
 
What Sanju Samson said about Gowtham match-winning knock against Mumbai Indians: Young Rajasthan Royals batsman Sanju Samson has heaped praise on Krishnappa Gowtham for his blinder of a knock but described their side's thrilling last-over win over Mumbai Indians in their IPL match as a team effort. Gowtham struck an unbeaten 33 from just 11 balls under pressure, hitting two sixes and four fours to seal a three-wicket win for his side after Samson (52) himself and Ben Stokes (40 off 27) had added 72 runs for the third wicket to lay the foundation for the victory. "Gowtham was amazing. It is a life time experience for him and also for us," Samson said.
 
What SRH skipper Kane Williamson said about the bowlers after defending lowest score: After defending a meagre score of 132 against Kings XI Punjab, Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Kane Williamson praised his bowlers, saying the team is lucky to have local talent. Spin twins Rashid Khan and Shakib Al Hasan shared five wickets to help Hyderabad beat Punjab by 13 runs in a nail-biting Indian Premier League (IPL) match. "The bowlers have been operating very well, they know their roles very well. We are fortunate with our bowling depth. Very lucky to have the local talent. "Some good tough decisions to make going into the next few matches. You always want more, but the boys have been fantastic in the way they fought with the ball especially on this kind of a pitch. We want to maintain the same trend for the rest of the tournament,” Williamson said.
 
What Venkatpathy Raju said about bowlers in IPL 2018: Impressed with leg-spinner Mayank Markhande's bowling for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, former India spinner Venkatapathy Raju praised him and termed control as the rookie's strongest point while also describing Sunrisers Hyderabad as having the best bowling attack. On SRH attack, Raju, who played 28 Test matches, said, "It (SRH) is (the best bowling attack) in this IPL. They are defending their totals, they are planning and so far they are the best. Bhuvaneshwar (Kumar) has been doing well for the last five-six seasons. He is the most experienced and a thinking bowler. He being there, a lot of players are learning. Siddarth Kaul is (also) bowling brilliantly," Raju said."But the advantage the SRH have is even if Bhuvi is not playing , you have"Sandeep Sharma. He has got the knuckle ball and bowls good yorkers," said Raju, who also played 53 ODIs for India. He also lavished praise on Rashid Khan, saying the Afghanistan leg-spinner has got natural talent and variations. "If you see the present Sunrisers Hyderabad team, the bowling attack is fantastic. And you have got Basil Thampi and Rashid Khan. I have been seeing Rashid Khan right from U-19 level,” Raju said.
 
Team Head to Head ahead after today’s match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals (SRH vs RR)
 
Overall:
Matches – 9, Rajasthan Royals won – 4, Sunrisers Hyderabad won – 5
 
When these two teams met earlier this season, Sunrisers Hyderabad registered an emphatic 9-wicket win. At the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad, the SRH bowlers restricted the Royals to 125-9, after which Shikhar Dhawan (78*) and Kane Williamson (36*) stitched together an unbeaten 121-run partnership to power SRH home in 15.5 overs.
 
Trivia ahead today’s match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals (SRH vs RR)
 

• Since conceding a total of 104 runs in consecutive matches against KXIP & CSK, Rashid Khan has turned in incredible figures of 2-11 and 3-19 in his following two matches.
• The Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad are the teams with the lowest boundary percentages this season; while RR have scored only 50.26% of their runs through boundaries, SRH’s corresponding number stands at 51.61%.