Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) registered a comprehensive 36-run victory over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the IPL 2024 Qualifier 2 at Chepauk on Friday (May 24).
Invited to bat first, SRH posted a total of 175/9 on the board, thanks to Heinrich Klaasen's brisk 50 off 34 deliveries, along with valuable knocks from Travis Head (34) and Rahul Tripathi (37).
In reply, the Royals were cruising in the powerplay but the duo of Shahbaz Ahmed and Abhishek Sharma spun a web around their batting line-up. While Shahbaz picked up three scalps by conceding 23 runs, Abhishek chipped in with two wickets for 24 runs as SRH restricted RR to 139/7 in 20 overs.
Shahbaz was adjudged the Player-of-the-Match after SRH entered into the IPL final for the first time in six years.
After the game, the left-arm spinner said he was proud of his performance but will only celebrate after the title clash.
“The captain and coach told me depending on the situation we will use you, my role was to bat lower down the order and they said if we collapse we will send you. When I was batting, I felt that this wicket had something and the way Avesh and Sandeep bowled showed. I’m feeling proud of having got the Man of the Match in such a game, the atmosphere is quite relaxed in the camp. We will celebrate only after winning the final, tonight we will just relax,” Shahbaz said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
On the other hand, Abhishek Sharma, who is known for his explosive batting approach at the top of the order, credited SRH captain Pat Cummins for showing confidence in his bowling abilities.
“To be honest I didn’t know it would be this match (where I would bowl all 4 overs), but I was ready. I have been working on my bowling,” Abhishek said.
“I have been batting well in the last 2 years but it was my bowling that I had to work on and I did it with my dad. It (the pitch) was quicker when we were batting and it started to turn in the second innings, Patty used the spinners well. It was the pressure I have put in all the (practice) sessions that he (Cummins) gave me bowling today. We won the SMAT with Punjab and the momentum came from that, I was ready and worked hard. The message was simple - they gave us the freedom to go and express ourselves. It was one of my dreams to play in the IPL final and it is coming true,” he further remarked.
Sunrisers Hyderabad will take on Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2024 final at Chepauk on Sunday (May 26).
