Punjab Kings fell short by just two runs as they lost to SunRisers Hyderabad in Mullanpur, Mohali, on Tuesday, April 9, 2024.
Punjab got off to a good start, thanks to their bowlers who had SunRisers tottering at 64 for 4 in the 10th over. But thanks to a half-century by Nitish Reddy SRH managed 182 for 9 in their 20 overs.
SRH bowlers also did well to have Punjab in some early trouble before Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma nearly pulled off a win.
A look at the best bowlers on the night...
Arshdeep Singh
The left-arm seamer was at his lethal best. He got the ball to shape away from the batters.
He kept the SRH batters guessing with his deliveries shaping across the batters. He got his first two wickets in similar fashion.
A good length ball shaping away from Travis Head, who went for the drive, but miscued it to loft it in the air and caught by Shikhar Dhawan for 21.
A ball later, he got his second wicket off a similar delivery when Aiden Markram played for the drive, stuck in his crease, edged the ball and was caught by the 'keeper for a duck.
When he came back for his second spell in his 17th over he broke the 50 run partnership between Nitish Reddy and Abdul Samad when the latter was caught at backward point for 25 off 12.
He struck again in the same over to remove Reddy who miscued a full toss and was caught in the deep. At the end, Arshdeep bowled some full toss balls that got the treatment and he finished with figures of 4 for 29.
Kagiso Rabada
The South African opened the bowling for Punjab for the first time this season. He got some movement early on and nearly had Head out first ball as replays showed that the batter had got a faint edge as the ball shaped away late.
Head was in all sorts of trouble against Rabada as he was beaten on the inside edge as well as the outside as the latter bowled Test match lengths on a pitch that offered some assistance.
In his second spell, he kept his length short, but was clobbered for a six by Nitish Reddy. He came back to bowl the 18th over and cleaned up Pat Cummins who missed while looking to heave the ball across the line.
He gave just four runs in the over and ended with figures of 1 for 32.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Be it for India or at the IPL, expect Bhuvi to come up with the goods when called upon.
Opening the attack, he kept his deliveries full and on the money with just one run coming off the over.
He drew first blood in his next over after being clobbered for two fours. The Punjab batters were kept under the pump and the pressure got to them as Prabhsimran Singh holed out in the deep for 4.
Bhuvi struck again next over. Wicket-keeper Heinrich Klaasen came up to the wicket and got the result soon. Shikhar Dhawan was beaten on the outside as he tried to step out to the bowler. Klaasen got the ball and lit up the stumps to have Dhawan stumped for 14.
He proved expensive in his 3rd over giving away 17 runs when 67 were needed off 24 deliveries. But he had done his part in the early half of the innings.
Pat Cummins
Cummins rarely erred in line and length to lead his attack from the front.
He couldn't have asked for a better start, taking out Jonny Bairstow for a duck in the second over.
He bowled to his field and gave next to nothing away finishing with figures of 1 for 22 off his 4 overs.
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