IPL 2023: Samad's last-ball six gives Hyderabad a dramatic four-wicket win over Rajasthan in cliffhanger
R
ajasthan Royals thought they had won over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Sunday when Sandeep Sharma had Abdul Samad holing out to long-off on the last ball of the chase, with the crowd cheering in happiness.
But immediately, the red siren rang, as replays showed Sandeep overstepping, giving Samad a life and Hyderabad, another attempt at winning the game. On the free-hit delivery, Samad stayed deep in the crease to launch a six over the bowler's head to complete a successful chase of 215, thereby stunning Rajasthan and achieving the highest-ever chase by the franchise and at the venue.
The four-wicket win in a dramatic run-fest also means Hyderabad are now in ninth place in the points table with eight points, while Rajasthan, who looked in control for the majority of the match after scoring 214/2, thanks to 95 from Jos Buttler and 66 not out from Sanju Samson, are at ten points from eleven games after wasting a chance of winning a match at home.
Hyderabad got off to a sedate start as Anmolpreet Singh and Abhishek Sharma hit eight boundaries between themselves in 5.3 overs. In a bid to break free after being beaten twice by Yuzvendra Chahal, Anmolpreet tried to slog-sweep a fuller delivery but holed out to deep mid-wicket.
Hyderabad showed first signs of acceleration when Rahul Tripathi lofted Murugan Ashwin over long-on for six, followed by Abhishek Sharma pulling for four more, apart from sweeping Chahal for a boundary.
Abhishek got his second fifty of this season in 33 balls with a one-handed swing over deep mid-wicket off Ravichandran Ashwin, before mistiming a loft to short third man.
Heinrich Klaasen smashed full tosses from Murugan for two leg-side sixes, before Tripathi got to drive a full and wide ball through backward point for four in a 19-run over. Klaasen slog-swept Chahal for six, followed by cutting him for four more.
But the leg-spinner had the last laugh as Klassen holed out to long-off. Chahal struck again in the 18th over as Tripathi skyed a slog-sweep to deep mid-wicket and trapped Markram plumb lbw with a googly.
With 41 runs needed off the last two overs, Glenn Phillips launched a hat-trick of sixes off Kuldip -- lifting twice over long-off, followed by heaving high over cow corner. When the pacer bowled wide, Phillips cut him past short third man, for four, threatening to take the match away.
But Kuldip bounced back by having Phillips mistime to the fielder running in from the point. With 17 needed off the final over, Samad was dropped by short third man and followed it up with a six over long-on off Sandeep.
The senior pacer had Samad caught at long-off on the last ball of the innings, only for it to be called a no-ball. Samad finished off the chase in style by shuffling across and launching a six over the bowler's head to pull off a heist for Hyderabad.
Earlier, Buttler took time in finding his rhythm and was 20 off 20 balls at one point, before finding his touch and smashing boundaries'on both sides of the 'V' while latching onto anything coming with width to make 95 off 59 balls.
He was also involved in a massive 138-run partnership off 81 balls with Samson, who was glittering in his attacking shots during his 38-ball stay at the crease. For Hyderabad's bowlers, barring conceding only 12 runs overall in the 18th and 19th overs, there wasn't much noteworthy.
Yashasvi Jaiswal gave Rajasthan another quick start with a four on the very first ball going just over leaping mid-on and ending the opening over off Bhuvneshwar Kumar with another four thanks to fine-leg making a mess of it.
Though Buttler flicked and nailed the drive for two fours, Jaiswal enthralled the crowd with a pulled six making a cracking sound off the bat and launched another six over long-on off Marco Jansen and Bhuvneshwar respectively.
The young left-handed batter had luck on his side - edges landing short of fine leg and missing the stumps. Jaiswal got a top-edge going for four off Jansen and hammered a drive through backward point for another boundary, before guiding a short ball straight to short third man.
Samson began with a late cut off T. Natarajan and cut off Mayank Markande for two fours, before smacking the latter for back-to-back sixes down the ground and extra cover. Buttler ended the 21-run over by pulling over mid-wicket for a flat six, before muscling a six and four down the ground off Abhishek.
Buttler then placed a drive through long-off against debutant Vivrant Sharma, followed by flicking off Jansen to collect a brace of fours to reach his fifty in 32 balls. Buttler and Samson took a six each off Markande before the former brought out the drive and late-cut against Jansen for back-to-back fours.
Markande came for further attack when Buttler muscled a six down the ground while Samson danced down the pitch to smash another maximum. Buttler's onslaught continued when he carted Bhuvneshwar thrice through off-side for boundaries, followed by Samson getting his fifty in 33 balls.
But in a bid to flick off Bhuvneshwar after shuffling across in the 19th over, Buttler was trapped plumb lbw with a low yorker on review, falling five runs short of his century.
Samson brought up Rajasthan's 200 with a ramp off a Natarajan yorker going over the keeper for four. He ended the innings with a gigantic six over long-on and cutting past third man for four, though it was not sufficient to avoid a loss.
Brief scores
Rajasthan Royals 214/2 in 20 overs (Jos Buttler 95, Sanju Samson 66 not out; Marco Jansen 1-44) lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad 217/6 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 55, Rahul Tripathi 47; Yuzvendra Chahal 4-29) by four wickets
✔️ IPL 2023: Samad's last-ball six gives Hyderabad a dramatic four-wicket win over Rajasthan in cliffhanger
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