Sunrisers Hyderabad Bhuvneshwar Kumar celebrates after taking the wicket of Rajasthan Royals Rovman Powell during the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on May 2, 2024.
Watch highlights of SRH vs RR: Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled a brilliant last over to seal a nail-biting victory for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Rajasthan Royals on Thursday (May 3) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
Death-bowling masterclass
With Rajasthan needing 13 off six balls, Bhuvneshwar was entrusted to bowl the last over. An over-rate penalty meant only four fielders were allowed outside the 30-yard circle. The first ball only yielded a single, as the newly-arrived Ravichandran Ashwin gave the strike to Rovman Powell, batting then on 17 off 10. Bhuvneshwar stuck to his plan of nailing the Yorker repeatedly. Powell pushed the next ball to long on and attempted a double. A poor throw from Marco Jansen at the deep meant the all-rounder was home safely. A four off the third delivery and a couple of doubles off the next two brought the equation down to two runs off the final ball.
The veteran pacer ended up bowling a low full toss, which jagged back in. Powell attempted to whip the ball away but was undone by the movement in the air. Powell was pinned leg before wicket for 27 off 15 as Hyderabad won the match by a run. Earlier in the innings, Bhuvneshwar started with a bang, removing Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson for ducks in the very first over. He finished with figures of 3-41 and was adjudged the player of the match.
Following the win, Hyderabad broke their two-game losing streak and moved to fourth with 12 points, the same as Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants. Meanwhile, Rajasthan continued their stronghold at the top with eight wins from 10 matches.