while Shashank and Ashutosh almost pull off another spectacular heist for PBKS.
Pat Cummins, the captain of SunRisers Hyderabad, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s probing spell together save the day in a thrilling victory over Punjab Kings.
Sunrisers Hyderabad recover from a top-order wobble to build a competitive score, then survive a dramatic final over to win by a close margin behind Pat Cummins leading from the front.
The decision-makers at Sunrisers Hyderabad decided to give him full control of the team after he led Australia to world titles in both the Test and 50-over forms. Pat Cummins leads from the front and proved it once more, as the squad defeated Punjab Kings on the road thanks to his 1/22 bowling spell in the Powerplay and at other pivotal times.Additionally, Cummins skillfully used his resources, allowing the hosts to be reduced to 29 in Jaydev Unadkat’s final over. Three dropped catches, two of which were parried for sixes, injected some uncertainty into what should have been a done deal. In the end, Sunrisers prevailed by two runs, and the seasoned left-arm seamer just managed to keep his composure.
The victory was largely due to their captain, who set the tone with a probing opening spell alongside Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The Punjab Kings were chasing 183 at 27/3 after the Powerplay. Cummins had sent back Jonny Bairstow, whose ugly swipe over the line met with thin air as the ball struck the top of the middle stump. Bhuvneshwar then dismissed Impact Player Prabhsimran Singh, before the SRH captain pulled wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen up to the stumps to prevent Shikhar Dhawan from moving down the pitch. When the left-hander couldn’t help himself, he rushed past one angled across him and was stumped.
It’s remarkable what a little help for the bowlers can do for a cricket match. Sunrisers Hyderabad, who have taken an ultra-aggressive attitude, were undone in the Powerplay by some excellent speed bowling from Arshdeep Singh and Kagiso Rabada in Mullanpur. Though the Indian left-arm seamer took four wickets on Tuesday, Rabada laid the groundwork early on. He should have caught Travis Head behind on the first ball of the encounter if Punjab Kings had challenged the not-out ruling. The Australian left-hander survived the opening over more by luck than plan, with his first two boundaries coming from the outside and inside edges.
The conditions should have pushed the visitors to tone down their style, but that is not how they play. Head attempted a powerful smash, but the ball deflected off the outer edge due to the swing and was handled superbly by a back-pedaling Dhawan. Then Aiden Markram edged a ball away from the wicketkeeper.
