Mitchell Starc’s thunderous start, claiming three wickets in the powerplay, including Travis Head’s duck, left Sunrisers Hyderabad reeling. However, Rahul Tripathi’s aggressive fifty, his 12th in IPL history, offered Hyderabad a glimmer of hope. But their aspirations were shattered in a matter of 30 balls, as SRH lost five wickets for just 25 runs, crushing their momentum.
Amidst the SRH meltdown, the jubilation from the KKR camp was palpable, with co-owner Shah Rukh Khan, his daughter Suhana, and team mentor Gautam Gambhir expressing their delight. Sunrisers Hyderabad’s innings concluded with a modest 159 runs, thanks to Mitchell Starc’s early fireworks.
For weeks, criticism had shadowed IPL’s costliest signing, Mitchell Starc. However, on Tuesday at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, he proved his worth. His quick dismissals of Head, Nitish Reddy, and Shahbaz Ahmed left Hyderabad wounded.
Despite being reduced to 39/3 in the powerplay, SRH fought back with Tripathi taking charge. He absorbed the pressure and kept the boundaries flowing. However, he lacked support from the other end, except for a 62-run stand with Heinrich Klaasen. Klaasen’s dismissal in the 11th over triggered a swift SRH collapse.
Tripathi’s horrendous run-out, a golden duck for Impact Player Sanvir Singh, and quick dismissals of Abdul Samad and Bhuvneshwar Kumar added to Hyderabad’s woes. In the dugout, Gambhir celebrated enthusiastically with assistant coach Abhishek Nayar, while Suhana, AbRam, and Shah Rukh Khan shared in the jubilation.
Sunrisers captain Pat Cummins, despite the collapse, played a crucial knock of 30 off 24 balls. He shared a vital 33-run stand for the last wicket with Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, taking SRH past the 150-run mark.
In the league stage, KKR topped the table with 20 points from 14 matches, while Sunrisers secured the second spot with 17 points.
