SRH into Finals! Will be up against KKR
In Qualifier 2 of the IPL, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) secured their third IPL final appearance by defeating Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 36 runs. Chasing a target of 176, RR were restricted to 139 for 7 due to a stellar performance by SRH’s spin duo, Abhishek Sharma and Shahbaz Ahmed, who took five wickets between them and conceded just 47 runs in their 8 overs combined.
On a slow pitch offering turn and grip, Abhishek Sharma (2/24) and Shahbaz Ahmed (3/23) made it difficult for RR’s key batsmen, including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, and Riyan Parag, to score freely. RR’s innings faltered dramatically, collapsing from a comfortable 65 for 1 to 79 for 5, within a span of a few overs. Jaiswal top-scored for RR with 42 off 21 balls, and Dhruv Jurel tried to salvage the chase with an unbeaten 56 off 35 balls, but the rest of the batting lineup failed to contribute meaningfully.
SRH into Finals! Will be up against KKR
Earlier, SRH posted a total of 175 for 9, thanks to Heinrich Klaasen’s crucial half-century (50 off 34 balls). Trent Boult (3/45) and Avesh Khan (3/27) were effective for RR in the powerplay and death overs, respectively, while Sandeep Sharma (2/25) was instrumental in controlling the middle overs.
RR’s decision to use Ravichandran Ashwin with the new ball backfired, as Rahul Tripathi (37 off 15 balls) attacked him early on. Despite contributions from Travis Head (34 off 28 balls) and Klaasen, SRH’s batting struggled to cope with the slower nature of the pitch, with several batsmen getting out trying to clear the infield. The victory sets up an IPL showdown between SRH and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Chennai on