 | « Back to article | Print this article |
In a must win tie, the Delhi Daredevils posted 163/5 after electing to bat first.
This IPL season, big totals have been chased down with ease and that is probably the mindset with which Sunrisers Hyderabad openers Alex Hales and Shikhar Dhawan arrived at the crease.
When Trent Boult started proceedings for the Daredevils he gave just one run in the opening over, but the introduction of Avesh Khan at the other end gave Hyderabad the impetus for their chase.
Avesh kept bowling short of length and a line that made hitting very easy. Hales, who got his second game on Saturday, made the most of the wayward bowling.
He hammered Avesh all over the park before he was given a life that very over.
Glenn Maxwell, who is not having the best time this season, dropped a catch even as it bobbled in his hands when Hales was on 9.
From then on, Hales was happy to rotate the strike and hammer the bad balls when he saw them.
He was particularly severe on Avesh who was smashed for 27 runs when he came back to bowl the 6th over.
The Powerplay overs earned the Sunrisers 61 runs, a huge advantage in their run chase.
And although Hales was done in by a superb ball from leggie Amit Mishra, he had already done enough.
Captain Kane Williamson and Yusuf Pathan put the finishing touches to send Delhi out of the competition.