| 0.0 : Hello and welcome to match no. 25 and it is a clash between two sides which have fared pretty well in the tournament so far. Both are entering this game on the back off a victory, with both defending low totals. Punjab I feel head into the contests as favorites considering their recent form. Also a win here for them will see them go on top of the table. Kane Williamson's men on the other hand, will also be keen for a victory as that will take them onto second spot. The last time these two sides |
| PITCH REPORT - Pommie Mbangwa starts by saying there is grass on the surface and the wicket is quite hard. Informs the square boundaries are quite short. Reckons anything above 170 is a good score. |
| TOSS - Punjab win the toss and they elect to field. |
| Ravichandran Ashwin says the wicket is going to be good. Adds that they are winning games and have quality players in their ranks who will come good very soon. Informs there are two changes - Yuvraj Singh goes out and Manoj Tiwari comes in and Chris Gayle coming in for David Miller is the second change. |
| Kane Williamson starts by saying it looks like a good surface and they will try and put up a good score on the board. Mentions the surfaces have been different at different places and he is happy to be at home. He hopes to contain Chris Gayle tonight. |
| So we are all set for the action to begin. The Punjab players and the umpires make their way out to the middle. They are followed by the opening pair of Kane Williamson and Shikhar Dhawan. Ankit Rajpoot will take the new ball first up. A slip in place for him. Here we go... |
| 0.1 : A Rajpoot to S Dhawan, In the air... just short! Drama first up. Almost a wicket from the first ball. This is short and wide outside off. Dhawan needs no sighters as he slashes at it outside off. The ball takes the outside edge and flies towards third man. He does not go for the catch and stands his ground to collect it on the bounce. The ball bursts through his hands and hits Mujeeb's face. He immediately signals he did not sight the ball. The batsmen take a run in the meantime. Rahman has |
| 0.2 : A Rajpoot to K Williamson, Good length outside off, Williamson makes a leave. |
| 0.3 : A Rajpoot to K Williamson, Back of a length on off, Williamson rocks back and punches it towards point. That came right off the middle. Just shows the form the lad is in. |
| 0.4 : A Rajpoot to K Williamson, OUT! Top edge and taken! Ankit Rajpoot gets rid of the in-from Kane Williamson for a duck! The ideal start for Punjab, a wicket in the first over. Rajpoot bowls it short and outside off, Williamson rocks back and tries to drag his pull on the leg side but the extra bounce does him in. The batter is not able to get on top of the bounce and it takes the top edge and goes into the hands of Ashwin who takes an easy catch at mid off. |
| Wriddhiman Saha is the next man in. |
| 0.5 : A Rajpoot to W Saha, Good length on off, Saha keeps it out off the front foot. |
| 0.6 : A Rajpoot to W Saha, Back of a length this time on off, Saha defends it onto the ground. End of a very good first over. Just a run and the huge wicket of Williamson from it. |
| Barinder Sran will bowl from the other end. |
| 1.1 : B Sran to S Dhawan, Shorter in length on off, Dhawan blocks it off the back foot. |
| 1.2 : B Sran to S Dhawan, Slower ball on the pads, Dhawan clips it through square leg and some good running let the batsmen run two. |
| 1.3 : B Sran to S Dhawan, A good short ball! It surprised Dhawan as he goes for the pull. He however is beaten by pace and the ball goes into the hands of the keeper. |
| 1.4 : B Sran to S Dhawan, FOUR! First for the game! Width on offer and Dhawan is too good a batsman to miss out. Wide outside off, Dhawan slashes it through covers and the ball races away. |
| 1.5 : B Sran to S Dhawan, Down the leg side, Dhawan misses the flick to get hit on the pads. The ball goes towards the keeper and the batsmen run a leg bye. |
| 1.6 : B Sran to W Saha, FOUR! Poor line and put away! Down the leg side, easy pickings for Saha as he flicks it fine through the leg side for the second boundary of the over. So not a good follow-up over by Sran after a lovely one by Ankit. |
| 2.1 : A Rajpoot to S Dhawan, FOUR! Edged but a boundary! Short and outside off, it shapes back in a touch, Dhawan tries to cut but the ball takes the outside edge and goes past the diving first slip fielder for a boundary. So a boundary to start the over. |
| 2.2 : A Rajpoot to S Dhawan, OUT! EDGED AND TAKEN! Ankit Rajpoot gets his second. This a top, top delivery. Bowls it on a back of a length around off, this one also shapes away a touch. Dhawan tries to keep it out off the back foot but plays inside the line. The ball takes the outside edge and goes low towards Nair at first slip who is a little deep. He dives forward and takes it inches above the ground. Two quick wickets for Punjab and Hyderabad are in trouble early. |
| Manish Pandey walks out to the middle. |
| 2.3 : A Rajpoot to M Pandey, Good length but outside off, Pandey lets it be. |
| 2.4 : A Rajpoot to M Pandey, Another ball outside off, the batsman need not play at those. |
| 2.5 : A Rajpoot to M Pandey, Back of a length on off, Pandey guides it to point. |
| 2.6 : A Rajpoot to M Pandey, Length now on middle, Pandey pushes it back to the bowler. So another excellent over by Ankit, especially after it had gone for a boundary of the first ball. His figures read 2-0-5-2. |
| 3.1 : B Sran to W Saha, Fuller on off, looking for some swing but there ain't any. Saha lunges and drives it to covers. |
| 3.2 : B Sran to W Saha, Goes shorter this time outside off, Saha guides it to point. |
| 3.3 : B Sran to W Saha, Just ahead of a length this time on middle, it swings back in. Saha nudges it towards square leg for a quick run. They need to keep rotating strike here. |
| 3.4 : B Sran to M Pandey, FOUR! That has been flicked with a lot of style! Full and on the pads, Pandey flicks his wrists on the last second, finds the gap through mid-wicket and the ball races away. |
| 3.5 : B Sran to M Pandey, Sran has learnt his lesson as he stays away from the pads and goes wide outside off. Pandey makes a leave. |
| 3.6 : B Sran to M Pandey, Just out of the reach! A tough chance but that could have been taken. Ashwin maybe made that catch difficult himself as he was very slow to get to the ball. A reprieve for Pandey, just the luck he needed to get back in form? This is full and on off, Pandey tries to go down town but mistimes it high up in the air towards mid off. Ashwin in that position turns and runs towards it. He stretches both his hands out but fails to reach to it. The batsmen run two and Hyderabad w |
| 4.1 : A Rajpoot to W Saha, Fuller on off, Saha drives it towards covers. |
| 4.2 : A Rajpoot to W Saha, Good length on off, Saha guides it down to third man for a run. |
| 4.3 : A Rajpoot to M Pandey, Good length on off, Pandey punches it through covers and bags a brace. |
| 4.4 : A Rajpoot to M Pandey, The batsman has punched that ball through the offside. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 4.5 : A Rajpoot to W Saha, OUT! Rajpoot gets his third and Saha bags another failure! The slower one this time does the trick. It is outside off, Saha looks to clear the leg side. Not a good shot, especially under the circumstances. The ball takes the top edge and balloons towards mid-wicket. Andrew Tye there positions himself under it and takes a dolly. |
| Shakib Al Hasan is the next man in. |
| 4.6 : A Rajpoot to M Pandey, DROPPED! So easily Rajpoot could have had two-in-two, so easily Hyderabad could have lost their fourth. Manish Pandey has lady luck on his side today. This is short and on middle, Pandey pulls it hard towards Tye who took the catch in the previous delivery. This time it comes flat towards him at a comfortable height. He gets two hands to it but can't hang on. Tye is disappointed with himself and he should be as that should have been taken. End of an action-packed over |
| 5.1 : B Sran to Al Hasan, Fullish on off, Hasan mistimes his drive to covers. |
| 5.2 : B Sran to Al Hasan, OUT! No he has overstepped and by a long way! Another Hyderabad batsman gets a reprieve, this time it is because of Manish Pandey as he is the one who spots the no ball and asks the umpire to go upstairs and check. Excellent match awareness by the non-striker. This is short and outside off, Shakib goes for the cut but the ball takes the top edge and goes into the hands of the third man fielder. He takes it and the Punjab players start celebrating as Shakib starts walking |
| B Sran to Al Hasan, FOUR! Makes full use of the Free Hit. A high full toss on leg stump. Shakib pulls it but not off the middle but in the gap. It races through square leg for a boundary. A freebie on a Free Hit, one should not miss out. |
| 5.3 : B Sran to Al Hasan, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 5.4 : B Sran to Al Hasan, FOUR! How costly will that no ball prove? It has already cost them 8 runs. This is short and outside off, Hasan guides it through backward point and the ball races to the fence. |
| 5.5 : B Sran to Al Hasan, Fuller on off, Hasan drives it towards covers. The fielder makes a half stop and the batsmen run a single. |
| 5.6 : B Sran to M Pandey, Fullish again on off, Pandey strokes it towards covers. The fielder fumbles and the batsmen think of a run but opt against it. So an over which could have produced a wicket goes for 10. Still a brilliant Powerplay for Punjab as Hyderabad are 37 for 3. |
| Ravichandran Ashwin is into the attack. |
| 6.1 : R Ashwin to Al Hasan, Flatter and outside off, Shakib cuts it to point. |
| 6.2 : R Ashwin to Al Hasan, Fires it on middle, Shakib tries to keep it out but gets an inside edge towards short fine leg. |
| 6.3 : R Ashwin to Al Hasan, Darts it on middle, Hasan punches it down towards long on for a run. |
| 6.4 : R Ashwin to M Pandey, The batsman works it down the leg side. They pick up a single. |
| 6.5 : R Ashwin to Al Hasan, Fires it on off, Hasan punches it to covers. |
| A referral for a run out at the non-striker's end has been taken upstairs. Shakib is the man in question, Ashwin is not confident though. |
| 6.6 : R Ashwin to Al Hasan, NOT OUT! And that is why Ashwin was not confident becausse he failed to collect the ball. This one is pushed towards cover and the batsmen go for a run. Shakib is jogging till the other end and seems to be very casual till he realises the throw is coming at his end. The ball hits the stumps and the players appeal. The umpire takes it upstairs and replay shows Ashwin has not collected the ball. Even if he had collected it, Shakib would have been in. |
| Manoj Tiwary is into the attack. |
| 7.1 : M Tiwary to Al Hasan, What was that? A round arm action, a very round arm action from around the wicket. Tiwary lands it on the pads, Shakib works it around the corner for a run. |
| 7.2 : M Tiwary to M Pandey, A similar action and the ball is on the shorter side outside off. Pandey cuts it through covers for a run. |
| 7.3 : M Tiwary to Al Hasan, Tosses it up this time on off, Shakib drives it through covers for a brace. |
| 7.4 : M Tiwary to Al Hasan, Down the leg side, Rahul fails to collect it and the ball goes down towards fine leg. The batsmen run two and the umpire signals a wide. |
| M Tiwary to Al Hasan, The batsman rocks onto the back foot and punches the ball. They pick up a single. |
| 7.5 : M Tiwary to M Pandey, A much more orthodox action this time. The ball is tossed up on off, Pandey strokes it through covers for a run. |
| 7.6 : M Tiwary to Al Hasan, The batsman has punched that ball through the offside. One run added to the total. So 10 runs from the over and the 50 comes up. |
| 8.1 : R Ashwin to Al Hasan, Flatter on off, Shakib pushes it to covers. |
| 8.2 : R Ashwin to Al Hasan, Flatter on leg stump, Shakib eases it down to long on for a run. |
| 8.3 : R Ashwin to M Pandey, Heave but misses! Slower through the air by Ashwin outside off, Pandey tries to go with the spin over mid-wicket but fails to connect. |
| 8.4 : R Ashwin to M Pandey, The carrom ball on off, Pandey drives it towards covers. Mujeeb there misfields and concedes two. Not a good time in the field for Mujeeb tonight. |
| 8.5 : R Ashwin to M Pandey, Pitched on middle, Pandey keeps it out. |
| 8.6 : R Ashwin to M Pandey, Eases this one down to long off for a run. So another tight over by Ashwin. Just 4 from this one and he has just given 7 in his two overs. |
| Strategic break has been signaled! |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman to bowl now. |
| 9.1 : Ur Rahman to M Pandey, Spinning in on middle and off, Pandey works it through mid-wicket and crosses over. |
| 9.2 : Ur Rahman to Al Hasan, From around the wicket, it's landed short and outside off. Shakib cuts but straight to point. |
| 9.3 : Ur Rahman to Al Hasan, Some extra bounce on this occasion. Spins away, Shakib attempts to cut but gets beaten. |
| 9.4 : Ur Rahman to Al Hasan, Served on a driving length outside off, the southpaw goes deep inside the crease and offers a firm punch on the off side. |
| 9.5 : Ur Rahman to Al Hasan, Slaps the pull down to long on and takes an easy single. |
| 9.6 : Ur Rahman to M Pandey, The batsman has played it fine down the leg side. They pick up a single. |
| Andrew Tye is into the attack. |
| 10.1 : A Tye to M Pandey, Slower ball and Pandey is completely deceived there. On a length. Pandey tries to keep it out but the ball hits the higher part of the bat and goes towards point for a run. |
| 10.2 : A Tye to Al Hasan, Short ball on middle, Shakib pulls it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 10.3 : A Tye to M Pandey, Another off pace delivery on the shorter side. Pandey mistimes his pull towards square leg for a brace. |
| 10.4 : A Tye to M Pandey, Another slower ball outside off this time. Pandey tries to cut but misses. |
| 10.5 : A Tye to M Pandey, Finds the fielder! A good shot but for no runs. On a length around off, Pandey tries to beat short third man but finds him. |
| 10.6 : A Tye to M Pandey, Fuller and on middle, Pandey strokes it down to long on for a run. Hyderabad need to get a move on here. |
| 11.1 : Ur Rahman to M Pandey, Flatter on off, Pandey tries to force it through the off side but the ball goes off the inner half towards the bowler. |
| 11.2 : Ur Rahman to M Pandey, Fires it on off, Pandey pushes it down to long off for a run. |
| 11.3 : Ur Rahman to Al Hasan, Wide outside off, Shakib goes for the cut but the ball takes the outside edge and goes towards short third man for a run. |
| 11.4 : Ur Rahman to M Pandey, Bowled outside off, Pandey tries to use the pace of the bowler and guide it through short third man but misses. |
| 11.5 : Ur Rahman to M Pandey, This time he connects but only gets a single as the fielder at short third man makes a half stop diving to his left. |
| 11.6 : Ur Rahman to M Pandey, Fires it on the pads, Pandey clips it through mid-wicket for a run. So another over in which a boundary does not come. Time to go big? |
| 12.1 : A Tye to M Pandey, Another ball outside off, Pandey hits it down to long off for a run. |
| 12.2 : A Tye to Al Hasan, FOUR! Smart shot! Picks his spot to perfection. Expected a slower ball from Tye and he got that. He uses the depth of the crease, swivels inside the crease and pulls it over short fine leg for a much-need boundary. It has come after six and a half overs. |
| 12.3 : A Tye to Al Hasan, Uses his feet this time but misses out on a full toss. |
| 12.4 : A Tye to Al Hasan, A yorker this time on middle, Shakib jams it out through mid-wicket for a brace. |
| 12.5 : A Tye to Al Hasan, Off pace delivery on off, Shakib tries to flick but the ball takes the inside edge and goes towards short fine leg for a run. |
| 12.6 : A Tye to M Pandey, Fuller on middle, Pandey strokes it down towards long on for an easy run. So 9 from this over. They need a lot more like these. |
| 13.1 : Ur Rahman to M Pandey, Pandey makes room and Mujeeb follows him. Manish punches it down to long off for a run. The 50-run stand is up now. They need to get a move on now though. |
| 13.2 : Ur Rahman to Al Hasan, This one turns back in sharply from outside off. Shakib cuts it to point for a quick run. |
| 13.3 : Ur Rahman to M Pandey, Singles is all that is coming at the moment. Pandey comes down the track and eases it down to long on for a run. |
| 13.4 : Ur Rahman to Al Hasan, OUT! Shakib perishes in an attempt to up the scoring rate. He had to go for it as this innings was going nowhere. Mujeeb bowls this one full, it is a flighted delivery. Shakib tries to clear the mid-wicket fence but only manages to get a top edge. It goes high up in the air towards long on. Agarwal there settles himself under it and takes a good catch. The 52-run stand has been broken and Mujeeb gets his first. |
| Yusuf Pathan is the new man in. |
| 13.5 : Ur Rahman to M Pandey, Down the leg side, Rahul fails to collect the ball as it goes towards short fine leg. The batsmen take a bye and the umpire signals a wide. |
| Ur Rahman to Y Pathan, The batsman plays it with an angled bat and guides it to third man. They pick up a single. |
| 13.6 : Ur Rahman to M Pandey, Stroked through covers for a run. |
| Ravichandran Ashwin is back on. |
| 14.1 : R Ashwin to M Pandey, Slaps this one through covers and the batsmen run two. |
| 14.2 : R Ashwin to M Pandey, Driven towards the mid-off region. One run added to the total. |
| 14.3 : R Ashwin to Y Pathan, Loopy ball on off, Pathan drives it towards long off for a run. |
| 14.4 : R Ashwin to M Pandey, FOUR! Once again sloppy work from the fielder! Manish Pandey slogs this one towrads deep square leg. Rajput there runs to his right and tries to collect it ont he bounce but pushes it over the rope. Boundary results. |
| 14.5 : R Ashwin to M Pandey, Very full on middle, Pandey tries to drive but gets an inside edge onto his boots. |
| 14.6 : R Ashwin to M Pandey, SIX! A good end to the over! 14 from it. This is on the leg side. Manish goes down on one knee and slog sweeps it over the mid-wicket fence for a biggie. |
| 15.1 : Ur Rahman to Y Pathan, Flatter on middle, Pathan keeps it out. |
| 15.2 : Ur Rahman to Y Pathan, Opts for the sweep shot and connects well. It goes through backward square leg for two. |
| 15.3 : Ur Rahman to Y Pathan, Flatter on middle, Pathan defends it back to the bowler. He unsure on which way the ball is turning and hence opting to play Mujeeb out. |
| 15.4 : Ur Rahman to Y Pathan, Fires it on middle, Pathan defends it off the back foot. Another dot. |
| 15.5 : Ur Rahman to Y Pathan, BEATEN! Beautifully bowled! This one is the leg spinner on off, Pathan lunges forward to keep it out but gets beaten by the away turn. |
| 15.6 : Ur Rahman to Y Pathan, Beaten again! Once again Pathan finding it difficult to pick Mujeeb. It is the leg spinner again on off, Pathan comes forward to keep it out but gets beaten. So five dots and just two from this over. Mujeeb bowls out and once again his figures are exceptional. 4-0-17-1 is what it reads. |
| Strategic break has been signaled! |
| Andrew Tye is brought back on. |
| 16.1 : A Tye to M Pandey, Short ball outside off, Pandey goes for the cut but does not connect. He has found it very difficult to time the ball here. |
| 16.2 : A Tye to M Pandey, Another slower ball and it is a yorker outside off. Pandey tries to jam it out but does not connect. Two dots in a row. |
| 16.3 : A Tye to M Pandey, Once again Pandey fails to connect. 100 comes up with a single. This is full on middle, Manish goes for the heave but gets it off the inner half towards the leg side for a run. Just a single from the first three balls. |
| 16.4 : A Tye to Y Pathan, Another single! Outside off, Pathan hits it hard towrads long off for a run. |
| 16.5 : A Tye to M Pandey, Once again sloppy effort in the field, this time it costs them two and not a boundary. Fuller outside off, Pandey guides it towards point. Ashwin there dives over the ball and concedes two. |
| 16.6 : A Tye to M Pandey, DROPPED! Manish Pandey has another life. This is a sitter, Punjab are just not in the mood to catch the balls today. The slower ball on middle, Pandey goes for the heave but only gets height and not the distance. It goes towards deep mid-wicket where Mayank Agarwal settles himself under it but can't take it. The batsmen take a run. |
| Ravichandran Ashwin is back on. |
| 17.1 : R Ashwin to M Pandey, Works it with the turn around the corner for a run. |
| 17.2 : R Ashwin to Y Pathan, Overthrows! This is short and outside off, Pathan cuts it towards point and the batsmen set off for a run. The fielder there has a shy and the keeper fails to collect and the batsmen take another run. |
| 17.3 : R Ashwin to Y Pathan, DROPPED and to add to that, it is a SIX! Pathan goes for the slog sweep and he does connect well but still he seems to have not got the desired distance. It goes towards Tiwary at mid-wicket who also gets two hands to it but fails to collect and in the end helps it over for a biggie . |
| 17.4 : R Ashwin to Y Pathan, The batsman has played it towards mid-wicket. Two runs added to the total. |
| 17.5 : R Ashwin to Y Pathan, NOT OUT! The dive has saved him! Pathan slaps this one through the covers. The batsmen run one and they go for the second. The fielder there fields the ball and fires a throw to the keeper who collects it and whips the bails off. The players appeal and the umpire takes it upstairs. Replays show that Pathan has made it in. |
| 17.6 : R Ashwin to Y Pathan, This is fired wide outside off, Pathan goes for the heave but does not connect. A dot to end the over but thirteen from it. Ashwin has been taken to the cleaners in the last two. He finishes with figures of 4-0-34-0 after going for only 7 from his first 2. |
| 18.1 : A Tye to M Pandey, Full delivery angling back in, raps Pandey low on the pads as he looks to flick it. |
| 18.2 : A Tye to M Pandey, FOUR! 11th Indian T20 League fifty for Manish Pandey! One that was most needed by Hyderabad in this situation. Fuller and outside off, he takes a step out of the crease and drives it through the covers to send it across the rope. Now, needless to say, he has to stay there till the end. |
| 18.3 : A Tye to M Pandey, Closes the face of the bat and nudges it through the vacant space in the mid-wicket region for a single. |
| 18.4 : A Tye to Y Pathan, Swing and a miss! Short of a good length outside off, Yusuf throws his bat at it but ends up hitting thin air. |
| 18.5 : A Tye to Y Pathan, FOUR! Errs with the line and pays the price! Length ball straying on the hips, Pathan tickles it fine down the leg side and sends it across the fine leg fence. |
| 18.6 : A Tye to Y Pathan, Dot to end the over. Attacking the stumps on a fullish length, hit straight back to the bowler. |
| Ankit Rajpoot is back on to bowl the last over. |
| 19.1 : A Rajpoot to M Pandey, That was wide outside off, Pandey goes after it and mistimes it towards cover for a run. Had he left that it would have been given a wide. A single to start the last over. |
| 19.2 : A Rajpoot to Y Pathan, A low full toss outside off, Pathan tries to go over covers but does not connect. |
| 19.3 : A Rajpoot to Y Pathan, BYE! So just two from the first three balls! This is a short ball on middle, Pathan ducks under it. The batsmen go for a bye as the keeper has a shy at his end and misses. |
| 19.4 : A Rajpoot to M Pandey, OUT! Timber! 4-fer for Rajpoot and the brilliant last over by him continues. He bowls a corker of a yorker on middle, Pandey swings but misses to see his middle stump get uprooted. His not-so-fluent innings comes to an end. Can Rajpoot take a fifer? He has two balls to go. |
| Mohammad Nabi walks out. |
| 19.5 : A Rajpoot to M Nabi, FOUR! Hyderabad fans will be wondering where was Nabi all this time! He comes out and opens his account with a boundary. This is short and outside off, Nabi cuts it over the point fielder and the ball races away. |
| 19.6 : A Rajpoot to M Nabi, OUT! Fifer for Ankit Rajpoot and he takes it off the last ball of his innings. Take a bow, young man. He has also bowled an exceptional final over. Just 6 and two wickets from it. This is full and on off, Nabi tries to clear long off by moving his front leg out of the way. He however does not get the desired connection and holes out in that position where Agarwal takes a good catch running forward. HYDERABAD END WITH 132 RUNS! |
| A very good bowling effort from the Punjab boys yet again. Might have only got 6 wickets, but the overall performance has been superb. Rajpoot rocked them early with 3 wickets inside the Powerplay, then the rest came forward and choked the run flow like it's nobody's business. Pandey (who scored a fifty) and Shakib did their best and tried to pull things back with a 50-stand, but that too came at a slower pace and did not cause much damage. |
| Pathan joined Pandey in the middle and they too attempted to counter-attack, but Rajpoot once again proved to be a obstacle in front of them as he dismissed Pandey and then Nabi at the end. He finished with a 5-fer, the best figures of the season so far. Now, the target might not be a big one, and Punjab would back themselves to chase this down, but the wicket is on the slower side and the hosts have shown they can defend a low total. A couple of early wicket and we could have a game on our hand |
| 0.0 : We are back for the chase. The Hyderabad players along with the umpires make their way out to the middle. Early wickets is the call for the hour for them. Whereas, for Punjab, Chris Gayle and Lokesh Rahul will open the batting. The latter will take strike and he will be facing Sandeep Sharma who has the new ball in his hands. Here we go... |
| 0.1 : S Sharma to L Rahul, Starts off with an inswinger on off, Rahul walks down a step or two and defends it off the front foot. |
| 0.2 : S Sharma to L Rahul, Another ball which comes into the batsman. Rahul flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 0.3 : S Sharma to L Rahul, On the pads, Rahul flicks it through square leg to get off the mark. |
| 0.4 : S Sharma to C Gayle, The awayswinger to the left hander starting from off. Gayle deliberately plays inside the line and lets it go through to the keeper. |
| 0.5 : S Sharma to C Gayle, Good length again on off, Gayle lunges forward and keeps it out. |
| 0.6 : S Sharma to C Gayle, Good length again on off, Gayle guides it towards point for a quick run. He too gets off the mark. A good over by Sharma, just two from it. |
| Mohammad Nabi to bowl from the other end. |
| 1.1 : M Nabi to C Gayle, Starts off from around the wicket and floats it up on middle and off, it turns away as Gayle defends it from within the crease. |
| 1.2 : M Nabi to C Gayle, SIX! Smoked that! Powerful hit from the big man! Tossed up around off, Gayle doesn't waste any more time as he charges out and hammers it straight over the bowler's head for a biggie. |
| 1.3 : M Nabi to C Gayle, Sliding in on leg, worked away square on the leg side. |
| 1.4 : M Nabi to C Gayle, Quite full on off stump, Gayle lofts it to long off on the bounce. Single taken. |
| 1.5 : M Nabi to L Rahul, Over the wicket to Rahul. Short and turning in on off, the batsman goes back and uppishly punches it to long on, past the diving bowler for a run. |
| A stumping appeal! Is Gayle gone? Looks close. Could go either way. |
| 1.6 : M Nabi to C Gayle, Not out! Gayle survives! Superb work from him to drag his back leg inside the crease in time. Seeing the big West Indian give the charge, Nabi drops it short outside off. Now, Chris pulls out of the shot in time, and then focuses on getting back in. The bails are off and it's taken upstairs. Replays show he's fine. Complete credit to Gayle here, had he still gone through with the shot, he would have been gone. But he was alert and more importantly, quick to react to save |
| 2.1 : S Sharma to L Rahul, Just ahead of a length outside off, Rahul skips down the track and smacks it straight to the man at cover. |
| 2.2 : S Sharma to L Rahul, Good length delivery in the off stump channel, kept out off the back foot. |
| 2.3 : S Sharma to L Rahul, Offers a solid punch just wide of mid off and steals a quick single. Nicely done. |
| 2.4 : S Sharma to C Gayle, Full delivery fired on middle and leg, Gayle flicks it in front of square leg and rotates strike. |
| 2.5 : S Sharma to L Rahul, Takes the pace off this one but KL picks it up. Steps out of the crease to the fuller length ball and clips it through square leg for one. |
| 2.6 : S Sharma to C Gayle, Full delivery on the stumps, flicked to mid-wicket. It's straight to the fielder and Gayle wants the run, and Rahul responds. The run is completed. Never thought you'd hear anybody say that, did you? |
| 3.1 : M Nabi to C Gayle, Quicker through the air and shorter in length on off, the left-hander goes back and works it to mid on. |
| 3.2 : M Nabi to C Gayle, Nudged to the leg side for an easy run. |
| 3.3 : M Nabi to L Rahul, SIX! Half-tracker... no need to guess what's happened next. With the form Rahul's in, he's not going to miss out on those. He shifts his weight onto his back foot and then muscles the pull over mid-wicket for a maximum. |
| 3.4 : M Nabi to L Rahul, FOUR! Now follows it up with a boundary. This is good batting. Wide outside off, room to free his arms and Rahul throws everything at this. Carves it through cover-point and sends it across the fence. |
| 3.5 : M Nabi to L Rahul, FOUR! 15 off the over so far. A big finish coming? On a driving length on off, Rahul kneels down and connects with the sweep nicely. Lifts it over short fine leg and finds the fence. |
| 3.6 : M Nabi to L Rahul, Naah. Just takes the single. 16 from this over. Rahul punches this to long on and crosses over. |
| 4.1 : S Sharma to L Rahul, Serves it full on middle and off, makes it go away. Rahul takes a step out, attempts to flick but gets it off the leading edge towards cover. |
| 4.2 : S Sharma to L Rahul, Fraction straight in line, tapped in front of mid-wicket. No run taken. |
| 4.3 : S Sharma to L Rahul, FOUR! Shot of the match! One for the photographers. Beautiful. Full delivery outside the line of off stump, Rahul leans into the shot and crisply drives it through the gap in the covers for a boundary. |
| 4.4 : S Sharma to L Rahul, On a length again, on the stumps, blocked. |
| 4.5 : S Sharma to L Rahul, Flicks it away with the wrists, through the mid-wicket area for a single. |
| 4.6 : S Sharma to C Gayle, Played to the point region by the batsman. End of the over. |
| Siddarth Kaul is brought into the attack. |
| 5.1 : S Kaul to L Rahul, Goes full, goes fast and attacks the stumps. Perhaps a fraction straighter in line than he'd have liked, but it's a good ball nonetheless. Rahul flicks it straight to mid-wicket. |
| 5.2 : S Kaul to L Rahul, FOUR! Not in complete control of that, but has enough to send it across the rope. Short of a length, Rahul comes out and somewhat mistimes the punch past mid on for a boundary. |
| 5.3 : S Kaul to L Rahul, Just short! Nearly. KL backs away so Kaul follows him with a shortish ball. It's cut away, aerially, towards short third man where it falls short of a diving Sandeep Sharma. |
| 5.4 : S Kaul to L Rahul, Comfortably pushes this to long on with the full face of the bat. Single results. |
| 5.5 : S Kaul to C Gayle, FOUR! Terrific placement from Gayle! Full on off, going across, Gayle knows third man is inside the ring, so he backs away a touch and steers it past the fielder there with an angled bat. It races away to the boundary line. |
| 5.6 : S Kaul to C Gayle, Could have easily dragged that back on. Full length ball on off, Gayle gives it the full swing of the bat, looking to clear long on probably. But instead, he gets a big inside edge past the leg stump. One run added to the total. |
| Basil Thampi introduced into the bowling attack. |
| 6.1 : B Thampi to L Rahul, Full and fast on the pads, easily flicked through to deep mid-wicket for one. |
| 6.2 : B Thampi to C Gayle, Around the wicket to Gayle, Thampi angles in a length ball on off. It straightens up a touch, squares up the southpaw a bit as he defends it down on the track. |
| 6.3 : B Thampi to C Gayle, SIX! That has gone a long way! When he gets a hold of it, there's no point bothering or hoping for anything else. It's not coming back. Full on off, Gayle clears his front leg and then launches it high into the long on stands for half a dozen. The fifty comes up for Punjab with that. |
| 6.4 : B Thampi to C Gayle, Top edge and it's fallen in no man's land! Shortish outside off, Gayle winds up for the big pull. Swings and gets a top edge which balloons over short third man. Falls right in the middle of the man in the ring and the fielder in the deep, who try to run and catch it. Single taken. |
| 6.5 : B Thampi to L Rahul, Uses the angle well, it's on a length on middle, and tucks it through backward square leg for a run. Thampi came from over the wicket this time. |
| 6.6 : B Thampi to C Gayle, Switches the angle again, full length ball on middle, Chris flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| Rashid Khan to have a go with the ball. |
| 7.1 : R Khan to L Rahul, Leg break around off, just behind a driving length. It invites Rahul forward to block and beats the outside edge. Superb stuff to start with. |
| 7.2 : R Khan to L Rahul, Short, flat on off, punched down to long on for a single. |
| 7.3 : R Khan to C Gayle, Spinning in on middle and leg, kicks off the deck a bit too. Gayle is back to work it away on the leg side but takes a rap on the pads. Loud appeal, correctly denied by the umpire. |
| 7.4 : R Khan to C Gayle, Gayle goes with the spin this time. Works it through backward square leg for one run. |
| 7.5 : R Khan to L Rahul, OUT! Rashid Khan strikes and the crowd goes wild! What a ripper! Lands it on middle and off, it turns every so slightly and that's enough to get Rahul. The batsman is forward to defend but gets beaten past the outside edge and has his stumps disturbed. First wicket down for Punjab, maybe a little too late. Their openers have given them a solid start. |
| Strategic break! |
| Mayank Agarwal is the next batsman in. |
| 7.6 : R Khan to M Agarwal, Too full outside off, no room for the ball to turn so Agarwal drills this towards sweeper cover. Gets off the mark with a single. |
| 8.1 : B Thampi to M Agarwal, On a good length in the channel outside off, Agarwal cuts it fine, down to third man for an easy run. |
| 8.2 : B Thampi to C Gayle, OUT! Thampi strikes! What a big moment for him and for Hyderabad as well. The dangerous Chris Gayle departs. Back of a length on middle, Gayle looks to pull and gets a top edge which lobs over towards the short leg region. Thampi himself runs to the ball, calls for it and takes the catch with ease in the end. Both openers now back in the hut. |
| Karun Nair will be the new man in. |
| 8.3 : B Thampi to M Agarwal, Back of a length on middle, Agarwal helps the pull along the ground in front of square leg. Rashid and Kaul out in the deep both go for the ball and end up crashing into each other. Khan seems to have hurt his shoulder in the process. But, they manage to save the boundary. Two runs taken. |
| 8.4 : B Thampi to M Agarwal, Outside off, played to point. Straight to the fielder. |
| 8.5 : B Thampi to M Agarwal, Landed on a length and outside off again, Agarwal cuts it past point and crosses over. |
| 8.6 : B Thampi to K Nair, Run down to third man with ease and a single is taken by Nair. Off the mark with that. |
| Shakib Al Hasan to roll his arm over. |
| 9.1 : Al Hasan to K Nair, Full toss outside off, punched nicely through extra cover for a couple of runs. |
| 9.2 : Al Hasan to K Nair, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 9.3 : Al Hasan to K Nair, Turned with the wrists through mid-wicket and a single is taken. |
| 9.4 : Al Hasan to M Agarwal, Slower through the air around off, Agarwal is a bit early into the drive as he mistimes it back to the bowler. |
| 9.5 : Al Hasan to M Agarwal, Slider coming in on middle and leg, flicked through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 9.6 : Al Hasan to K Nair, Nudged through square leg this time for two good runs. Good running between the wickets. |
| Siddarth Kaul brought back on to bowl. |
| 10.1 : S Kaul to M Agarwal, Straighter in line on a good length, tucked away through backward square leg. Rashid Khan out in the deep moves to his right, covers good ground and fires a throw back in. A brace collected. |
| 10.2 : S Kaul to M Agarwal, Agarwal has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 10.3 : S Kaul to M Agarwal, Just behind a length outside off, Mayank punches this off the back foot, down to third man, for a simple run. |
| 10.4 : S Kaul to K Nair, Coming back in on middle stump, Karun Nair aerially flicks this past the man at mid-wicket and picks up a single. |
| 10.5 : S Kaul to M Agarwal, Hits the deck hard and pounds it in short, Agarwal rocks back to pull but the bounce gets too big on him. Mistimes it over the bowler's head and gets to the other end quickly. |
| 10.6 : S Kaul to K Nair, Fullish in length, in line of the stumps, wristed away through the square leg area. One run added to the total. Punjab need 60 to win in 54 balls. |
| Rashid Khan returns to the attack. |
| 11.1 : R Khan to K Nair, Bowls the wrong 'un outside off, short in length. Nair goes back to cut, but mistimes the shot on the off side as the ball spins in sharply. One run taken. |
| 11.2 : R Khan to M Agarwal, Another one short in length, Mayank slaps the pull down to long on for a run. |
| 11.3 : R Khan to K Nair, Drags the pull from outside off and works it through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 11.4 : R Khan to M Agarwal, Straighter one outside off, keeps going on as Agarwal misses his cut shot. |
| 11.5 : R Khan to M Agarwal, Turned against the spin towards backward square leg. The batsmen hare across and complete the run. |
| 11.6 : R Khan to K Nair, Pushed to the right of the bowler for nothing. |
| Shakib Al Hasan comes back on. |
| 12.1 : Al Hasan to M Agarwal, OUT! Agarwal departs. Just throws away his wicket. Senseless shot to play at this time. The situation didn't demand it, just had to play sensible cricket. Tossed up on off, Agarwal looks to clear long on. Doesn't middle it one bit and it's straight down the throat of Manish Pandey positioned there. With this, Shakib has picked up 50 Indian T20 League wickets. |
| 0.0 : Aaron Finch out to bat next. |
| 12.2 : Al Hasan to K Nair, Straighter one on the stumps, played right back at the bowler. |
| 12.3 : Al Hasan to K Nair, The batsman has swept that one through the leg side. They have run through for a single. |
| 12.4 : Al Hasan to A Finch, Finch eases the full ball down to long on and gets off strike with a single. |
| 12.5 : Al Hasan to K Nair, Plays with the spin, eases it away to the cover fielder. |
| 12.6 : Al Hasan to K Nair, Possibly an inside edge there? Only thing that would save him. Umpire signals runs so that's it. Nair gets low to sweep. There's a shout, but turned down as the ball hits the pads. Bit of an inside edge, it rolls away on the leg side and a single is taken. |
| 13.1 : R Khan to K Nair, Bit quicker through the air outside off, Karun Nair looks to connect but misses. |
| 13.2 : R Khan to K Nair, Played down to long on to get off strike. |
| 13.3 : R Khan to A Finch, Another shout! Nothing from the umpire again. Quicker and flatter on the stumps, Finch kneels down to sweep and gets it down towards short fine leg for a single. |
| 13.4 : R Khan to K Nair, OUT! Rashid Khan, you absolute beauty! He strikes again. What a ball! GAME ON. Tosses it up there, it's the googly and it spins back in. Catches Karun Nair on the front pad after going past the inside edge. Loud appeal, but this time the umpire raises his finger. 51 needed off 38. Punjab in some trouble here now. |
| Manoj Tiwary walks in next. |
| Ooooohhhh! How close. Rashid wanted the review but Saha and Williamson said no. Should they have taken it? Possibly height an issue? So close. |
| 13.5 : R Khan to M Tiwary, Not out! Floated up in line of the stumps, Tiwary kneels down to sweep but misses and is rapped on the pads. Another big appeal, but it's turned down. Khan wants to review, he signals it, but his skipper says otherwise. Probably going over the stumps, as Saha indicates. |
| 13.6 : R Khan to M Tiwary, This time a shout for a caught behind! Shut down, good call from the umpire. Full outside off, Tiwary is down to sweep and gets it off the shoulder behind to first slip. No bat involved there. An eventful over from the leggie comes to an end. |
| 14.1 : Al Hasan to A Finch, SIX! That's how to take the pressure off! Massive hit from Aaron Finch! It's tossed up, right in his arc, Finch gets his front leg out of the way and smokes it over long on for a maximum. |
| 14.2 : Al Hasan to A Finch, OUT! Finch is gone! Hyderabad are completely pumped up. Now they know they're in with a real chance. They know it. They know it. Big wicket, this. Tossed up outside off, Finch makes room and looks to go big downtown once more. Gets a lot of height on this, but not the required distance. Pandey is right at the rope at long on. He positions himself well, gets under the ball and takes it with a lovely reverse cup. 45 needed off 34 to win. |
| Ravichandran Ashwin comes out to the middle. |
| 14.3 : Al Hasan to R Ashwin, Ashwin pushes this through the covers and gets one. |
| 14.4 : Al Hasan to M Tiwary, Driven through mid off by the batsman. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 14.5 : Al Hasan to R Ashwin, Quicker around off, Ashwin is forward and across to work it on the leg side. Is caught on the pads as the ball falls on the off side. Muted appeal, never going to be given. Saha rushes to the ball seeing the batsmen trying to take a run. They return as the throw comes in at the bowler's end. Good work. |
| 14.6 : Al Hasan to R Ashwin, Flicks it off the pads away on the leg side for a run. |
| Sandeep Sharma is back. |
| 15.1 : S Sharma to R Ashwin, Moves across the sticks, gets behind the line of this length ball outside off and then punches it to long on for a single. |
| 15.2 : S Sharma to M Tiwary, Some pace taken off outside off, run down to short third man. |
| 15.3 : S Sharma to M Tiwary, OUT! Tiwary is out of here! Hyderabad are officially into the tail now. They can get what they wished for. Unreal bowling performance, this. The pressure has got to the Punjab outfit. Full on the stumps, it's the slower one and it's cleverly disguised. Tiwary flicks it uppishly straight to mid-wicket. Williamson there, initially doesn't see the ball clearly at first, but then somehow gets his vision clear and then takes it with ease. 41 needed off 27. |
| Strategic break signalled. |
| Andrew Tye to be the new man in. |
| 15.4 : S Sharma to A Tye, FOUR! Tye gets a boundary instantly! Make no mistake though, that could easily have been another catch. Fuller and slower on off, Tye lofts it down the ground. Shakib from long on goes running back to his left and dives, but it's just a little far from him. One bounce and across the rope. |
| Review. Andrew Tye is caught leg before and given out. But, he's challenged the decision. Possibly going down leg. Let's see now... |
| 15.5 : S Sharma to A Tye, OUT! Umpire's call! Oh, dear... that was extremely, extremely close! Wow. Not a bad review at all. Punjab won't lose it, but they won't really care about that right now. Length ball angling in on leg, catches the pads of Andrew Tye who looks to flick across the line. Loud shout, the finger goes up but the Australian reviews it. It goes upstairs and replays show that the ball would have gone on to clip the leg stump, so the on-field call will stay. 37 needed to win off 25 |
| Barinder Sran is the next man in to bat. |
| 15.6 : S Sharma to B Sran, Angles across a length delivery around off, pushed gently to point by Sran for a single. |
| Siddarth Kaul called back into the bowling attack. |
| 16.1 : S Kaul to B Sran, Short of a length delivery around off, Sran awkwardly plays this towards mid off. Wants the single when there is none, is rightly sent back. |
| 16.2 : S Kaul to B Sran, Back of a length well outside off, some room to work with so Sran slaps this down to long off and gets off strike. |
| 16.3 : S Kaul to R Ashwin, Good fielding from Rashid Khan. Great with the ball and now stupendous in the field. Length ball well outside off, Ashwin cuts it through point. The Afghan in the deep moves to his left and makes a good sliding stop. Keeps the batsmen to just two. |
| 16.4 : S Kaul to B Sran, Slower length delivery going across outside off, Sran doesn't pick it up and blindly swings, in an attempt to clear the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Misses it completely as the ball goes under his bat. |
| 16.5 : S Kaul to B Sran, OUT! Sran is run out! Slower one again, touch fuller in length outside off. Sran swings and gets a bottom edge behind towards the slip cordon and sets off. Saha is quick to get to the ball, sees Sran is stranded in the middle of nowhere as he's sent back and hits the bull's eye at his end. Another wicket down. |
| Ankit Rajpoot will bat next. |
| 16.6 : S Kaul to A Rajpoot, Dropped! Fuller ball on the stumps, Rajpoot gives it everything he's got. Only manages to sky it towards mid on where Nabi is positioned. He moves back, gets under the ball can't keep a hold of it. Single taken. |
| Rashid Khan to have a go with the ball again. |
| 17.1 : R Khan to A Rajpoot, In the air for a long, long time... but it's fallen safe somehow! Rajpoot swings hard at this full ball and it goes in the mid-wicket area. Nobody there, a single is taken. |
| 17.2 : R Khan to R Ashwin, OUT! It's taken this time! Leave it to Kane Williamson to get it done. Man is the perfect captain. Always leads by example. Flighted right up there, Ashwin swings and balloons it towards extra cover. Williamson runs and takes a safe catch after getting under the ball. |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman is the last man in for Punjab. |
| 17.3 : R Khan to A Rajpoot, Bit quicker through the air around off, spins away a touch, Rajpoot swings and misses. |
| 17.4 : R Khan to A Rajpoot, Rajpoot this time gets a top edge in the backward square leg area and a single is taken. |
| 17.5 : R Khan to Ur Rahman, FOUR! Good shot! Sees the flight on the ball and premeditates the reverse sweep. Unleashes it and gets it through backward point, beating Sandeep Sharma's dive out in the deep. |
| 17.6 : R Khan to Ur Rahman, FOUR! Mujeeb giving some hope here. 23 needed in 12. Another superb hit, he brings out the reverse sweep and scoops it over short third man's head for back-to-back boundaries. |
| 18.1 : S Kaul to A Rajpoot, Slower delivery outside off, on a length, Ankit looks to go big on the leg side with a heave but misses. Mujeeb is alert, he quickly sets off, calls his partner through and a bye is stolen. |
| 18.2 : S Kaul to Ur Rahman, Full in length just outside off, worked away through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 18.3 : S Kaul to A Rajpoot, Slower in pace again, outside off, Rajpoot slaps it down to long off and rotates strike. |
| 18.4 : S Kaul to Ur Rahman, Only a single. Mujeeb punches this length ball around off down to long off. 19 needed off 8 to win for Punjab. |
| 18.5 : S Kaul to A Rajpoot, FOUR! Streaky runs but it's all the same for the away side. It will take it. The game is not over by any means. Full on the stumps, Rajpoot swings to go over the leg side and gets an inside edge past the leg stump. It runs away to the fine leg fence, beating the fielder chasing after it. 15 to win off 7 now. |
| 18.6 : S Kaul to A Rajpoot, Precious dot. That could have easily hit the stumps. Not sure how it's missed. Gosh! Fuller and slower just outside off, Rajpoot clears his front leg and misses his shot. It goes agonizingly close past the off stump. |
| Basil Thampi to bowl the final over. 14 to defend for him. |
| 19.1 : B Thampi to Ur Rahman, Well bowled! Yorker on leg, tailing back in, Mujeeb makes room to work it on the leg side but it's too good for him. Off his pads and away towards short third man. Leg bye taken. |
| 19.2 : B Thampi to A Rajpoot, OUT! BOWLED 'EM! Thampi is right on the money and he steers his side to a stunning victory. HYDERABAD WIN BY 13 RUNS! What an effort. Full ball on the stumps, Rajpoot goes across the stumps to scoop this over short fine leg but misses it altogether. And since that's happened, the stumps have been rocked. Brilliant. |
| A wonderful, wonderful performance from Hyderabad. They've defended another low score, that too in consecutive matches. Just goes to show what a good bowling unit can do for you. Working wonders in this Indian T20 League season. With a below par total to defend, they didn't get off to the best of starts with Gayle and Rahul adding 55 between them. And it seemed things were over then itself. But, from the point Rashid dismissed Rahul, Hyderabad slowly crawled back into the game. The runs got clog |
| The tourists would be quite disappointed with themselves, especially Ankit Rajpoot, who took a 5-fer and bundled out Hyderabad to a below par score. The openers provided a solid start, but nobody followed suit after. They have themselves to blame. All that was needed was some sensible batting, given the asking rate wasn't much. But they went for the needless big shots and threw their wickets away, thereby losing a match they should have won. If you think only big chases are entertaining, then th |
| Ankit Rajpoot is declared as the Man of the Match. His team might have lost, but picking up a 5-fer is a massive feat in a T20 game. Rightly deserved. |
| Right, then! We've come to the end of an epic contest. Hyderabad move to 2nd place, leaving Punjab one below them. Not much to worry about for the visiting team, but there are areas they would like to work on, the batting to be precise. So, anyway, we move on to the next one. Tomorrow, Delhi will take on Kolkata at the Feroz Shah Kotla at 2000 local (1430 GMT). Do tune in for that. Catch you folks then. Cheerio! |
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