RR had to pay a huge price as Sandeep Sharma bowled a no-ball
Skipper Sanju Samson was visibly furious while Sandeep had almost given up by then. Samad capitalised on the life he got and deposited the free-hit ball into the stands, sealing a 4-wicket win for Hyderabad
The clash between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Sunday was another last-over thriller of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 that forced the viewers to remain glued to their TV screens. With 41 required off the last 12 balls, SRH batter Glenn Philips brought a twist in the tale with a hat-trick of sixes and followed it up with a boundary against RR’s Kuldip Yadav. Though he lost his wicket right after scoring 22 runs off the first four deliveries, he had done his job brilliantly.
But the drama unfolded on the final delivery of the last over when fast-bowler Sandeep Sharma almost had Abdul Samad out and won the game. The SRH batter was caught by Buttler at the long-off boundary while the RR supporters and the dugout erupted in joy. And then the umpired raised his hand sidewise, calling it a no-ball.
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Skipper Sanju Samson was visibly furious while Sandeep had almost given up by then. Samad capitalised on the life he got and deposited the free-hit ball into the stands, sealing a 4-wicket win for Hyderabad.
SRH are almost out of the playoff race but their victory meant a third straight loss for the Royals. Former India opener Aakash Chopra, who is one of the IPL experts for JioCinema, said if someone oversteps in such a scenario, he has to beat the consequences.
“They got that catch and thought it was over, but this is a game of margins and you lost to the margins when you overstepped. If you overstep, you have to face the consequences,” Chopra said.
The former cricketer also spoke about fast bowler Kuldip Sen who leaked 24 run in the penultimate over, giving an upper hand to the SRH.
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“We discussed how one decision can be the difference between winning and losing. Who bowled the 19th over? If someone had to, it should’ve been Sandeep Sharma or Obed McCoy. Kuldip Yadav could have bowled, I am not saying he can’t be better or is average, but the truth is that he shouldn’t have bowled this over,” said Chopra.
The Royals amassed 214/2 in 20 overs, with Jos Buttler hitting 95 and skipper Sanju Samson managing 66 not out. SRH’s batters kept their sights firmly on the target with opener Abhishek Sharma scoring 55 runs. Ultimately, the game came down to a last-ball thriller where Abdul Samad smashed a six off medium pacer Sandeep Sharma to take his side over the line.
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