When Jaydev Unadkat, the fast bowler for SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), was given the last over to bowl in the IPL 2024 match against Punjab Kings (PBKS), captain Pat Cummins probably expected his team to win. However, SRH only won by a small margin of two runs.
The thrilling encounter took place at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, Chandigarh on Tuesday, April 9. Hyderabad, batting first after being sent in by Punjab, posted a total of 182-8. In the chase, PBKS were 154-6 after 19 overs.
Requiring 29 runs from Jaydev Unadkat’s final over, they managed to secure 26 in a thrilling conclusion, causing concern for Cummins and his teammates. The opening delivery of the 20th over was struck powerfully by Ashutosh Sharma (33* off 15) towards deep midwicket.
Nitish Kumar Reddy had a chance to catch it, but instead, he deflected the ball over the boundary for a six. You can watch the video here:
The following two deliveries veered off course, resulting in wides. With 21 runs required from five balls, Ashutosh struck one towards long-off. This time, Abdul Samad misjudged the catch, deflecting the ball over the boundary for the second six of the over.
The subsequent two deliveries yielded two runs each, followed by another wide from Unadkat. Requiring 10 runs from two balls, Rahul Tripathi missed an easy chance at deep midwicket off Ashutosh’s bat.
However, only a single run was scored from the delivery, leaving Punjab Kings needing nine runs to win from the final ball. Shashank Singh (46* off 25) lifted the ball over long-off for a maximum, but SRH managed to weather the storm.
In their pursuit of 183, Punjab Kings had a shaky beginning, losing five wickets with just 91 runs on the board. Jonny Bairstow was dismissed without scoring by Cummins, while skipper Shikhar Dhawan managed only 14 runs and Prabhsimran Singh contributed just 4.
Sam Curran (29 off 22) and Sikandar Raza (28 off 22) provided brief contributions, but it was the partnership of Shashank and Ashutosh that truly troubled SRH.
Nitish Reddy’s outstanding innings lifts SRH following the early loss of wickets
After being sent in to bat by Punjab Kings, SunRisers Hyderabad encountered early setbacks, losing four wickets for 64 runs with Travis Head (21 off 15), Abhishek Sharma (16 off 11), Aiden Markram (0), and Rahul Tripathi (11 off 14) departing cheaply. Heinrich Klaasen’s dismissal for 9 added to Hyderabad’s woes.
However, Nitish Reddy’s explosive half-century, scoring 64 off 37 deliveries, included four boundaries and five maximums, while Samad added 25 runs off 12 balls. Their efforts propelled SRH beyond the 180-run mark, which ultimately proved to be sufficient.
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