The target is 172 runs. Not too big, not too small. In pursuit of this goal against Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad started cautiously. But they could not prevent the wicket from falling. Lost 3 wickets in 6 overs of Powerplay. But the run has also taken 53. After the powerplay, Hyderabad lost one more wicket to score 1 run.
However, they came out of that pressure with good batting from captain Aiden Markram and O Henrich Klaassen for the fifth wicket. But after these two were out, Hyderabad could not win the match due to the late drama. In the end Kolkata won the match by 5 runs. After winning the toss and batting, Kolkata scored 171 runs for 9 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. In response, Hyderabad can score 166 runs for 8 wickets.
During the fifth wicket partnership, Markram and Klaassen combined to accumulate a total of 70 runs from 47 deliveries. Within this period, the duo managed to hit 1 four and 3 sixes, amassing 36 runs specifically attributed to Klaassen’s batting. Unfortunately, Markram’s innings came to an end after scoring 41 runs from 40 balls.
When Markram returned as the sixth batsman, Hyderabad was 145 for 6 in 16.5 overs. They still needed 27 runs to win. In this situation, the match was once leaning towards Kolkata, another time towards Hyderabad. In a thrilling climax, Hyderabad found themselves requiring 9 runs off the final over, with the precious safety of three wickets still intact.
In a crucial moment, Kolkata’s captain Nitish Rana made the strategic decision to entrust the ball to Varun Chakraborty. The first delivery resulted in just a single run for the opposing team from Hyderabad. In the second ball, Hyderabad managed to add another run through a leg-by.
However, Varun swiftly dismissed Abdul Samad on the third ball, boosting Kolkata’s chances.
With three balls remaining, Hyderabad now required 7 runs to secure victory. The following ball, delivered by Varun, was a dot, denying Hyderabad any additional runs. As tension mounted, the fifth ball yielded a solitary run for Hyderabad, leaving them with a challenging task of needing 6 runs from the final ball in order to emerge triumphant.
Kolkata players completed a small meeting on the field. That meeting worked. Calcutta’s leg spinner Varun did not give any runs in the last ball. He took 1 wicket with 20 runs in 4 overs. Baibhav Arora and Shardul Thakur took two wickets each.
Earlier, captain Rana scored 42 off 31 balls and 4 fours and 1 six off 35 balls while captain Rana scored 46 off 35 balls to give Kolkata 171 runs. Apart from this, Andre Russell scored 24 runs off 15 balls with 1 four and 2 sixes.
After this victory, Kolkata is at the eighth place in the list with 8 points from 10 matches. They still keep the playoff hope alive. Hyderabad is in ninth place with 6 points from 9 matches. Delhi Capitals are at the bottom with 6 points in even matches.
