Rishabh Pant's emotional homecoming was not a dream script as Sunrisers Hyderabad stuck to their season's template by beating Delhi Capitals with a 67-run win in an IPL match to consolidate their position in the rankings on Saturday. It was Travis Head's 32-ball 89 and his carnage along with Abhishek Sharma (46 off 12 balls) that set a new match-winning total of 266 for 7 for SRH in their 20 overs. A record Powerplay score of 125/0 gave SRH the foundation and at one point the first-ever total of over 300 in IPL looked a distinct possibility.
In reply, Jake-Fraser McGurk's equally aggressive and attractive 18-ball-65 conjured up visions of an unlikely victory as he added 84 runs for the third wicket along with Abhishek Porel (42 off 22 balls) in just five overs.
Once Fraser-McGurk was gone, DC went off the boil and they were all out for 199 in 19.1 overs.
T Natarajan's excellent use of slower bouncers and figures of 4 for 19 ensured that SRH now sit second behind Rajasthan Royals (12 points) in the points table with 10 points.
Pant himself was out of his element as he could barely get his timing right en route to a laborious 44 off 35 balls that did more harm than good to DC's cause.
As DC started the chase, Prithvi Shaw (16 off 5 balls) hit an out-of-rhythm Washington Sundar for four boundaries before being softly dismissed, setting the tone for McGurk to tee off in incredible style.
With minimal footwork, a stable base and no predetermined positioning while executing his shots, the rookie Aussie, who was a last-minute substitute, hit a 15-ball-50, but that was ultimately not enough as the home side slowly got going. but definitely slipped out of the qualifying zone.
Earlier, on the front of a track, Pant's decision to bowl first could be debated for a long time as an IPL record Powerplay score of 125 set the tone for a big total.
The Capitals were hit by a tornado named Head and cyclone named Abhishek, who added 131 in just over six overs, sparking visions of IPL's first-ever total of 300 runs as Head, followed by his hundred in the final match against RCB, with a sparkling 89.
He got Abhishek to match his pace with a 46, with both openers helping themselves with half a dozen sixes.
Left-arm seamer Khaleel Ahmed, whose career has been dogged by inconsistency, helped Sunrisers gain an 'edge' when the short balls were summarily dispatched over deep mid-wicket for sixes, 19 of which came from the first over.
On a track, where they had to throw it at a longer length, the Delhi pacers bowled short, while Head and Abhishek just stood deep in their crease and made merry.
More so, his decision to hand the second over to Lalit Yadav, whose time off in the Delhi cricket circuit is jokingly referred to as “right arm nothing”, was even more controversial.
Head and Abhishek both sent all the bowlers on a learning hunt. The normally plucky Kuldeep Yadav (4/55 in 4 overs) started by giving the ball some air, but Abhishek repeatedly dragged it towards the Kotla stands, forcing him to take a flatter trajectory.
It paid off when he dismissed Abhishek, Aiden Markram and Head in successive overs, while Axar Patel (1/29 in 4 overs) stood tall amid ruins with the best economic interest.
His dismissal of Heinrich Klaasen (15) also ensured that 30,000 viewers in the Kotla did not see more than 300 people.
Kuldeep had the highest number of dot balls (8) among Delhi bowlers, but he also conceded the maximum number of 'maximums': 7, a rare contrasting double by a bowler in the same match.
Towards the second half, Shahbaz Ahmed (59 not out off 29 balls) also got a fifty, but his innings paled in comparison to the heavy artillery fired by Head and Abhishek beforehand.
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