Karun Nair hit the winning runs off the final ball for the Delhi Daredevils as they beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets in their IPL clash in Raipur yesterday to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The Daredevils went into their clash needing to win their last two matches, and they are one step closer to that, but their final group-stage opponents are the Royal Challengers Bangalore, which sets up a potentially mouth-watering clash to see who makes the playoffs.
The Sunrisers, meanwhile, aren’t guaranteed of their place in the playoffs yet, but their net run rate holds them in good stead, and a victory in their final group game will earn them a spot in the top two.
The Daredevils, in sweltering conditions in Raipur, won the toss and sent the Sunrisers in to bat. Openers David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan, who have been very effective throughout the tournament, weren’t at their brisk best in the powerplay overs but still managed to put on 46 before Carlos Brathwaite produced an inspired piece of fielding to send Dhawan back for 10.
Warner battled on and brought up yet another half-century as he put on a 39-run stand with countryman Moises Henriques. JP Duminy would be the man to end the stand as Henriques walked back for 18.
Warner eventually got to 73 before Brathwaite took his second wicket of the innings. Naman Ojha and Bhuvneshwar Kumar produced cameos of 16 and 13 respectively to get their side to 158.
The Daredevils’ response got off to a stuttering start as Quinton de Kock, the Sunrisers’ leading scorer in the tournament, struggled to a nine-ball two. There were no such difficulties from there however, as Rishabh Pant and Nair put up a 73-run stand to get their side in a commanding position.
Pant was run out for 32 and the nerves showed from there as Duminy and Brathwaite fell for 17 and 10 runs respectively, but Nair produced the best IPL knock of his career so far to hit back-to-back boundaries off the last two balls to see his side over the line, and keep their playoff hopes alive.
Nair was rightfully adjudged the Man of the Match for his match-winning knock. “I have no words to describe the feeling. My best IPL knock so far... I’m still getting used to adjusting from the longer formats,” said Nair.
Daredevils skipper Zaheer was all praise for his team: “Dug-out was like thunder monkey out there! Everyone wanted this win badly. I said irrespective of the result, we are going to smile out there. Great fight... Few situations not going our way. This season is all about having that young energy around. Good things are in store for us.”
Losing skipper Warner blamed his side’s fielding: “We were sloppy on the field today, and I’m also responsible for that. We felt 150 was par. Karun played an excellent knock.”
Brief scores
Delhi Daredevils 161 for 4 in 20 overs (K Nair 83*, R Pant 32; Sran 2-34) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 158 for 7 in 20 overs (D Warner 73; Brathwaite 2-27) by six wickets