Half-centuries from Travis Head and Nitish Kumar Reddy helped Sunrisers Hyderabad defeat Rajasthan Royals by one run in a thrilling finish.
Electing to bat, SRH bounced back after a horror start to post 201 as they plundered a lot of runs towards the end.
In reply, Royals also clawed their way back in the contest after early wickets but choked at the very end with SRH winning off the last ball.
The best knocks on Thursday night...
Travis Head
Dropped off the first ball of the match, Head made most of the lifeline and crafted a composed 44-ball 58, peppered with three sixes and three fours for a strike rate of 131.
After losing a couple of early wickets, SRH were struggling on 37/2 in six overs -- their lowest Powerplay score in IPL 2024.
But Head found a steady partner in Nitish Reddy, as the duo put together 96 runs for the third wicket to rebuild SRH in the middle overs.
The Australian dominated Yuzvendra Chahal, launching back-to-back sixes and a four in a single over tallying 18 runs off the ninth over. Chahal's evening only worsened as Head continued to dominate, pulling off another six off the leggie in the 15th over.
Head was sensible enough not to throw it away as he struggled to find his usual fluency before he was able to find his range against the spinners.
Just after reaching his fifty and surviving a contentious run-out appeal, Head departed off the very next ball, as he ended up deflecting the scoop shot off Avesh Khan straight back at the stumps.
Head is SRH's top run-getter with 396 runs from nine games at an incredible strike rate of 194.
Nitish Kumar Reddy
Nitish Reddy showcased his brilliance with an outstanding unbeaten 76 off just 42 balls. The 20 year old stole the show from the much accomplished Travis Head, with an aggressive half-century -- his second of the season.
The two batters orchestrated a superb SRH revival as they posted a crucial 96-run partnership in just 57 balls for the third wicket, which was instrumental in taking the hosts to a huge 201/3.
Reddy's innings was a spectacle, displaying breathtaking stroke-play with remarkable sixes, all across the park, including his favoured mid wicket region, down the ground and over the covers.
He balanced aggression with caution, timing his acceleration perfectly. Reddy took time to get going as he managed just 5 runs from his first 10 balls before he changed gears in some style, to hammer 45 from the next 20 balls.
The six off Ravichandran Ashwin in the 10th over seemed to have boost Reddy's confidence and there was no looking back.
His onslaught included a sensational 21-run over against Chahal, featuring two massive sixes and two boundaries, and a masterful assault on Ashwin, notching consecutive sixes to reach his fifty from just 30 balls.
Reddy's dominance continued as he hammered Ashwin and Avesh for sixes.
Overall, he hit eight sixes in total -- the most by a SRH batter in an IPL innings, boasting an impressive strike rate of 180 to infuse vital momentum into the SRH innings.
Heinrich Klaasen
Klaasen went ballistic in the death to power SRH beyond the 200 mark for the fifth time this season.
Joining the fray with a flurry of boundaries and sixes, Klaasen wasted no time in asserting his dominance. He and Reddy put together a blazing stand of 70 runs from just 32 balls as the Royals came under some heavy fire.
Klaasen's assault on Chahal in the 16th over, including consecutive sixes, showcased his aggressive intent.
With 42 runs off 19 balls, with three sixes and as many fours at a strike rate of 221, Klaasen's explosive innings significantly contributed to SRH's formidable total, leaving them in a strong position despite a slow start.
Yashasvi Jaiswal
Jaiswal seems to have his regained his mojo.
He struggled to make an impact in the first few games before he turned it around with a superb century against the Mumbai Indians. And two games later, he made the SRH bowlers pay with a fine half-century -- only his second knock past the 50-run mark in 10 innings in IPL 2024.
Jaiswal showed why he was named in India's T20 World Cup ahead of some of his more heralded team-mates with some eye-catching strokes to delight the packed gathering at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium in Hyderabad.
Jaiswal showed great maturity to get his team back on track after the two big wickets of Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson in the opening over.
Jaiswal, who was dropped on 7, made SRH pay for that lapse as he hit Marco Jansen for back to back fours in the fourth over to get going after a shaky start.
Cummins, who put down the catch, suffered the most as Jaiswal slammed the SRH captain for two fours and a six in his first over. He hit spinner Shahbaz Ahmed for a boundary to race to his fifty from 30 balls, in the 11th over.
He played a delightful sweep shot off Bhuvneshwar Kumar, swiping the pacer for a six over square leg before he was bowled by Thangarasu Natarajan after a breezy knock of 67 from 40 balls.
Interestingly, both left-handed openers Jaiswal and Head, both of whom were dropped once, perished playing the same shot -- walking across the stumps and attempting to scoop the pacers but ended up deflecting the ball on to their stumps.
Riyan Parag
Parag is making most of his amazing form with the bat.
In a team full of star batters, the Assam youngster has stood out this season with some incredible knocks in the middle order.
Parag is Royals' top run-getter and the fourth highest overall in IPL 2024, with 409 runs from 10 games at a strike rate of 159, having hit four fifties.
The 22 year old showed intent right from the outset. He went after Bhuvneshwar, who had claimed two wickets in the opening over, hitting a couple of fours and a six in the third over. He smashed Natarajan for two successive boundaries before he was dropped off the same bowler as Abhishek Sharma put down a tough chance, diving full length to his right at extra cover.
Parag was quite brutal whenever the pacers erred with their line or length. He pulled Cummins for a six over midwicket and in the next over, he got a couple of fours off Jansen.
Matching the highly-rated Jaiswal stroke for stroke, he raced to his fifty from 31 balls. He tonked Jaydev Unadkat for a six over long-on in the 15th over as Royals looked to be cruising towards victory.
However, his dismissal to Cummins in the next over after smashing 77 from 49 balls, witnessed a dramatic turn of events as SRH bounced back to clinch a memorable victory.
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Photographs: BCCI
