MATCH RECAP
Follow UsA record-breaking powerplay
19, 21, 22, 21, 20 and 22 - there was just one over in the powerplay where Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma didn’t score 20+ runs. The two have been breaking records for fun in the ongoing IPL 2024 but what they did on April 20 (Saturday) against Delhi Capitals was out of the world. 125/0 in six overs - that’s outrageous even for a team like Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Hyderabad went past the 100-run mark in less than five overs and eventually finished the powerplay with the highest score in T20 history. There were a total of 24 boundaries hit in the first six overs - the most ever in an IPL innings.
Also read - Head and Abhishek, the brothers of (powerplay) destruction
Kuldeep, Axar bring some relief
The way Head and Abhishek were going, it felt like the Sunrisers would breach the 300-run mark. The two were in beast mode, taking down everyone coming on their way. Kuldeep Yadav was already smoked for 20 runs in his first over, which he bowled in the powerplay.
The left-arm wristspinner was reintroduced into the attack in the seventh over and dismissed Abhishek (46 off 12) and Aiden Markram (1 off 3) in the space of five deliveries. Kuldeep then dismissed Head (89 off 32) in his third over before Axar Patel knocked over Heinrich Klaasen in the first delivery of the next over.
Thanks to them, the Capitals pulled things back a bit in the middle overs. The Men in Orange got 80/4 in the middle overs, going at a rate of less than 9. Kuldeep eventually finished with figures of 4/55, while Axar took 1/29 in four overs and was the only DC bowler to operate at an economy of less than 10.
Shahbaz the batter is shining
Prior to IPL 2024, the left-hander from Bengal was averaging 16.89 and striking at 117.2 after 25 innings. But this year, he has taken his batting to the next level. Shahbaz has hit 129 runs across five innings at an average of 43 and a strike rate of 161.3.
On Saturday, Shahbaz walked out to bat in the 10th over. The scoring rate was close to 16 but SRH had already lost their top-four and half of the innings was still pending. The 29-year-old put on 67 runs with Nitish Reddy. Shahbaz started steadily, scoring 31 off 22 deliveries before hitting 28 runs off his last seven balls.
He scored 59* off 29 - his maiden IPL fifty - and helped SRH finish on a high. 266/7, to be exact.
JFM puts on a show
The Capitals lost Prithvi Shaw and David Warner inside two overs, but that’s when Jake Fraser-McGurk stood up and put on a show for the home crowd. Coming into this match after slamming 55 off 35 and 20 off 10 in his first two innings in IPL, the young batter from Australia went one step higher and hit 65 off just 18 deliveries.
Fraser-McGurk hammered Washington Sundar for 30 runs in the third over and then took down Pat Cummins for a four and a six in the fifth over. Mayank Markande was also smacked for three consecutive maximums but got JFM’s wicket in the same over. He got out after hitting five fours and seven sixes, going at a strike rate of 361.11.
Fraser-McGurk completed his fifty off just 15 deliveries, the quickest for any batter this season. The right-hander also has the second-best strike rate (236) in the first 10 deliveries in IPL 2024.
Stubbs, Pant kill the game for DC
Delhi were 135/4 in 8.4 when they lost Abishek Porel (42 off 22), going at a rate of more than 15 runs per over. They were very much in the game but Tristan Stubbs (10 off 11) and Rishabh Pant then scored only seven runs in the next two overs.
Pant finished with 44 off 35 but was on 20 off 24 at one stage. His knock and his partnership with Stubbs more or less killed the game for Delhi in the middle overs. They eventually fell short by 67 runs.
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