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That is that as far as this contest was concerned and while it was rather one-sided in the end, the result remains a critical one from the point of view of a number of teams in that mid-table muddle. We hope you enjoyed our coverage of this game as much as we did bringing it to you - thank you so much for tuning into Sportskeeda for the same! The action rolls on in the IPL though and we have a double-header coming your way tomorrow - while Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals battle it out at Sharjah, Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings will then go head-to-head at the Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Do be back with us for our coverage of the same tomorrow while also keeping yourselves up to date with all the other cricketing action and news from around the globe. For now though, on behalf of my friend and fellow commentator Shashwat Kumar, this is Sooryanarayanan Sesha humbly reminding you to mask up and get vaccinated in case you haven't already. Good night and take care!
Quite a dominating performance in the end from the Sunrisers Hyderabad and for a side that has not had the rub of the green going their way, this will infuse some smiles in their camp as Jason Roy mentioned prior to the game. And tonight was the perfect sign of why they could play the perfect party spoilers to a number of teams trying to break out of that mid-table clutter and those finding themselves in the midst of it will have to be vary. As for the Royals, they have let a golden opportunity slip away and they continue to find themselves logjammed with 8 points from 10 games, much like three other teams who now have the chance to climb up the ladder tomorrow.
Jason Roy (Player of the Match): It makes me extremely happy. Really grateful for the opportunity from the Sunrisers. I've been waiting patiently and training hard. I had to access different areas. It wasn't as free-flowing especially for the first 20-30 balls but I wanted to get the team as close as possible. He (Saha) was instrumental in that partnership and allowed me to relax a little bit. He got off to an incredible start and I am really happy with that partnership. We've got to keep our feet very grounded. We've had a very tough tournament but to come out with a smile on our faces and perform like that is very pleasing. We have to remain grounded though.
Kane Williamson (Sunrisers Hyderabad Captain): It's a good feeling. We can look at the performance and say it was much improved. Some clarity in the performance and we can say that it was much better. Hopefully we can improve on that and some of these young players cash in on their opportunities in the coming games. A couple of periods of play were quite significant - Sanju batted outstandingly well but we closed it out quite well and it gave us a chance. And then we got a great start but once they took a wicket and the ball stopped on the surface it wasn't easy. We had to weather those storms and we did that really well. He (Roy) brings a lot of energy to any team he plays. He was sitting on the sidelines and was rearing to go. He's a fantastic player and it was a great performance from him. We've got a couple of days off between games so it's important we recover. We go to a new venue now and take on CSK who are top of the table. We want to execute our plans as well as we can and bring some smiles and hopefully we can do well towards the back-end of the tournament.
Quite a disarming interview that from Abhishek Sharma and anybody who witnessed that would have had a big smile on their face. A young man gets an opportunity and he makes his presence felt for the Sunrisers as they just about remain afloat in the hunt for the playoffs by a smidge of a margin.
Abhishek Sharma (Sunrisers Hyderabad): It was a big opportunity for me as I was waiting for my chance. I wanted to contribute for my team and I think I did well. It was our first win here too. I was just waiting for this opportunity and I was thinking if I get an innings like this I have to contribute for my team and I am glad I did it. Kane was just telling me a lot of things. He is a great captain and he told me I can do it and he gave me a lot of confidence. (On the miscommunication while calling for a run) I came into the wicket after a long time so I will do better the next time (sheepishly). I said one but Kane wanted two and I said 'NOOOO!'
Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals Captain): I think it was a decent score. The wicket was a bit sticky and they were bowling well according to the conditions. We could have got 10 or 20 runs more. The start which we got on this sticky wicket, we should have kept going. I wanted to go on after the Powerplay but we lost one or two quick wickets which made me hold back. They bowled really well. We definitely have to work a lot on both our batting and bowling. We need to work on our execution and we need to be on top of our mark each delivery. The margin for error is very small and we need to be on the money.
A host of changes were made by the Sunrisers and they were on the lookout for a reason to smile. And smiles galore in the Sunrisers dugout as they comprehensively get the better of the Rajasthan Royals in Dubai!
It was the start of dreams for the Sunrisers in the Powerplay having endured an endless nightmare heading into this game. Jason Roy infused a breath of fresh air without any sort of baggage behind him and he was up and running in a hurry as he cashed in on the field restrictions. Wriddhiman Saha seemed even more intent on going after the bowling which was insipid and lacked any sort of bite in the first few overs, as SRH raced past 50 inside the fifth over.
Mahipal Lomror was thrown the ball and the move fetched rewards for the Royals with Saha stumped in an attempt to whack the former out of the attack immediately. A few tidy overs of spin followed although Roy and Kane Williamson ensured very few dot balls while adeptly rotating the strike. A couple of incredible shots off their blades though - Williamson's backfoot punch over extra cover standing out among the lot - saw SRH zoom past 100 in no time with Roy notching up his half-century by taking the attack to Tewatia.
For some strange reason, Chetan Sakariya was held back until the 12th over and he struck immediately with the wicket of Roy as Samson leapt to his left to pluck an excellent catch. That was soon followed by the craftiness of Mustafizur Rahman snuffing out Priyam Garg for a golden duck, to breathe some life into the contest.
Williamson and Abhishek Sharma then took matters into their hands with a phase of regular strike rotation to ensure that SRH stayed ahead of the 8-ball. It wasn't devoid of drama though with quite a bit of hesitation in terms of calling for a run between the two although a few innocuous deliveries and some exquisite shots off their blades ensured that the Sunrisers didn't make a meal of the chase as they romped home by 7 wickets to consign the Royals to their sixth defeat of the season. Williamson also brought up a half-century of his own to cap off a good outing for SRH, something that had run into oblivion for a considerable period of time.
Mustafizur Rahman, Mahipal Lomror and Chetan Sakariya accounted for a wicket apiece but the lack of wickets in the Powerplay came back to bite the Royals hard. Jaydev Unadkat and Chris Morris were insipid throughout their spells and their lack of incision, coupled with at least 15 runs left out on the park during their batting innings meant that the Royals were always behind the 8-ball during their defense.
That's how you seal the game in style! Half-century for Kane Williamson as well as he sees his side home with a mature display of batting in the run-chase. The drought is over at last for the Sunrisers Hyderabad - they win by 7 wickets with 9 deliveries to spare, much to the delight of the owners as well as their supporters!
18.3 Mustafizur Rahman to Kane Williamson, THAT WILL BE THAT! SRH WIN! Slower delivery on a full length on middle and off stump. Williamson clears his front leg and hacks it over mid wicket for a boundary to seal the deal! SRH win and they might just have played the role of party poopers for RR! Remember, SRH are still mathematically in with a shout!
SWEET TIMING! Impeccable timing and placement through mid-wicket and it's down to a mere 2 runs needed now.
18.2 Mustafizur Rahman to Kane Williamson, FOUR! SHOT! Low full toss on off stump. Williamson comes onto the front foot and whips it past mid wicket for four! What a shot!
18.1 Mustafizur Rahman to Kane Williamson, slower delivery on a full length outside off stump. Williamson gets forward and drills the ball into the off side towards extra cover
Mustafizur Rahman to bowl his final over of the game. He will bowl over the wicket.
They are doing it in a canter now are the Sunrisers and the skipper has brought about his usual sense of calm to the proceedings which has been pivotal considering the odd moment of hara-kiri in the middle. They are just one hit away now from finally notching up their second win of the tournament.
18
overs
159/3score
6
1
1
1w
1
4
1w
1
runs
Kane Williamson*
43(38)
Abhishek Sharma
21(16)
Chetan Sakariya
1/32
17.6 Chetan Sakariya to Kane Williamson, slower delivery on a full length outside off stump. Williamson clears his front leg and drives the ball towards deep point for a single
17.6 Chetan Sakariya to Kane Williamson, dug into the track on middle and off stump. Williamson gets underneath that one but the height means that Sakariya will have to reload that one
Typical Kane Williamson whippage! Down to single digits now.
17.5 Chetan Sakariya to Kane Williamson, FOUR! SHOT! Back of a length delivery on leg stump. Williamson gets up on his toes and nonchalantly whips it past deep square leg for four