Indian Premier League 2024: High-flying Sunrisers Hyderabad thrash Delhi Capitals

New Delhi: Another dominating performance and another comprehensive win for Sunrisers Hyderabad in Indian Premier League 2024. SRH batters displayed another devastating performance to thrash hosts Delhi Capitals by 67 runs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday night and moved to the second spot in the points table with 5th win in 7 matches.

Batting first, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma brought an out-of-the-world hurricane of ultra-aggressive batting by smashing 24 boundaries in their 131-run opening stand off just 38 balls to rattle Delhi Capitals as SRH smashed a gigantic 266/7.

In reply, the hosts started with positive note, but they lost wickets in regular intervals. After the departure of opening duo Prithvi Shaw (16) and David Warner (1) young Jake Fraser-McGurk counterattacked the opponent bowling with Abishek Porel. The duo added 84 runs in 5 overs to keep thing alive. Aussie batter Jake scored attacking 65 runs from just 18 balls with 7 sixes and 5 fours while Porel hit 42 off 22 balls. Delhi finally managed 199 runs in 19.1 overs. Captain Rishav Pant was the last man to go after scoring 44 from 35 balls. Pacer T Natarajan took 4 wickets for 19 including one maiden. Mayank Markande and Nitish Reddy claimed two wickets each.

Earlier, on a placid pitch, Head (82 off 39 balls) and Abhishek (46 off 12 balls) left everyone in the stands breathless and speechless with their flurry of impeccable strokeplay and establishing multiple records for fun to help SRH make 125-0 in power-play, thus setting a new record for the highest power-play score in T20 cricket, including in the IPL.

After being hammered in power-play, Kuldeep Yadav (4-55) and Axar Patel (1-29) helped DC come back in the match as SRH went from 131/0 to 151/4. Handy contributions from Shabhaz Ahmed (59 not out off 29 balls) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (37 off 27 balls) ensured SRH posted a massive total yet again, while hitting 22 sixes and equalling their own record of most sixes hit in an IPL match.

Pushed into batting first, Head’s onslaught began by smashing Khaleel Ahmed for a six and two fours, before Abhishek clipped one for another boundary in a 19-run opening over. Head then pulled Lalit Yadav for back-to-back backfoot sixes, before cutting hard and being helped by a misfield from Anrich Nortje to get a four, with Abhishek lofting inside-out for another boundary as 21 runs came off the second over.

Nortje was next to come in firing line, as Head hit him cleanly for four boundaries, before getting his fifty in just 16 balls, by whipping over deep mid-wicket for six, as 22 runs came off third over. It was also the third time Head reached half-century in power-play of IPL 2024, also the joint-fastest fifty by an SRH batter in IPL.

Abhishek pulled and smacked Lalit for two sixes, before Head slapped him down the ground for third six of the fourth over. Abhishek greeted Kuldeep with loft and pull to hit a brace of sixes, before ending the over by dancing down the pitch to hit another maximum, as SRH crossed 100 in just five overs, also the fastest century by a team in T20s.

Abhishek went for a drive off Kuldeep, but couldn’t keep it down and Axar made a dive at extra cover to take a sharp catch. One brought two for Kuldeep as Aiden Markram hit straight to Axar again.

Despite Klaasen smacking him for two sixes down the ground and over long-on, Kuldeep bounced back by having Head, who didn’t get much strike after power-play, heave to a running long-on, and dismiss him for 89 off 32 balls. Axar further pulled DC back in the match by castling Klaasen.

Brief Scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad 266/7 in 20 overs (Travis Head 89, Shahbaz Ahmed 59 not out; Kuldeep Yadav 4-55, Axar Patel 1-29) beat Delhi Capitals 199/10 in 19. 1 overs (Jake Fraser-McGurk 65, Rishav Pant 44, Abishek Porel 42, T Natarajan 4/19, Markande 2/26). Agencies

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