In a thrilling encounter at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad, the Sunrisers Hyderabad edged out the Rajasthan Royals (SRH vs RR) by a mere one run in the 50th match of the IPL 2024 season.
The match, which took place on the 2nd of May at 7:30 PM IST, was a nail-biting spectacle that kept fans on the edge of their seats until the last ball.
Let check out SRH vs RR head to head in the IPL.
SRH vs RR: Head-To-Head in IPL
18 matches played between the SRH vs RR. Sunrisers Hyderabad has won 9 matches while Rajasthan Royals has won 9 matches.
Toss Moment
Sunrisers Hyderabad, after winning the toss, chose to set the pace by batting first.
“We will bat first, the crowd seems pretty excited to see us bat first. We have always done well batting first and this is probably our strong suit. Looks like a good wicket to bat on. So yes we will look to put up a good score on the board and defend.”
Pat Cummins, SRH Skipper
“We would have batted as well. It does suit the team, we have done both well this season. It is paramount to have momentum on our side in this tournament. Lot of things have been going in our favour. We just want to stick to the same process.”
Sanju Samson, RR Skipper
SRH vs RR: First Innings
Sunrisers Hyderabad Batting
Nitish Kumar Reddy remained unbeaten at 76 off 42 balls, including three 4s and a whopping eight 6s.
Travis Head supported the innings with a solid 58 from 44 balls, hitting six 4s and three 6s. Heinrich Klaasen also contributed a quickfire 42* off 19 balls, with three 4s and three 6s.
Contributions from Abhishek Sharma 12 (10) with one 6s and Anmolpreet Singh 5 (5) with one 4s helped SRH post a formidable total of 201 runs for the loss of three wickets.
Their innings was marked by some exceptional performances.
Rajasthan Royals Bowling
The Rajasthan Royals bowlers had a challenging day, with Avesh Khan picking up 2 wickets for 39 runs in 4 overs. Sandeep Sharma took one wicket for 31 runs in 4 overs.
Despite their efforts, SRH set RR a target of 202 runs to win.
SRH vs RR: Second Innings
Rajasthan Royals Batting
In response, the Rajasthan Royals put up a valiant fight.
Yashasvi Jaiswal scoring 67 off 40 balls, hitting seven 4s and two 6s and Riyan Parag scoring 77 off 49 balls, including eight 4s and four 6s were the standout performers.
Rovman Powell 27 off 15 balls and Shimron Hetmyer 13 off 9 balls also made valuable contributions.
Sunrisers Hyderabad Bowling
However, the SRH bowlers proved to be a tough hurdle to cross.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar led the attack with 3 wickets for 41 runs in 4 overs. He took Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson’s wickets in one over and took Rovman Powell’s wicket in last ball of last over.
Pat Cummins picking up 2 wickets for 34 runs in 4 overs. He took Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel’s wicket. T Natarajan took 2 wickets for 35 runs in 4 overs. He took Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shimron Hetmyer’s wicket.
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s bowlers restricting Rajasthan Royals’ batters to 200 runs for 7 wickets.
Man of the Match
The match came down to the wire, with SRH winning by just one run. The victory was sealed in the final over. A testament to the high-pressure situations that the IPL is known for.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was rightly adjudged the Man of the Match for his crucial wickets and his ability to maintain composure under pressure.
The SRH vs RR match was a classic display of T20 cricket. Both teams showcasing their strengths and also fighting till the very end.
SRH’s narrow victory by one run will be remembered as one of the most exciting finishes of the IPL 2024 season.