A sensational effort with the ball followed by a measured chase with the bat saw Hyderabad cruise to victory against Bangalore and keep their playoff hopes alive.
Here are the key talking points from the contest:
A bowling masterclass
Hyderabad were tasked with the challenge of containing an in-form batting line-up and they did that with ease owing to an incredible performance from their bowling unit. Outside of Shabaz Nadeem, none of Hyderabad's bowlers conceded over 6.25 runs an over, with pacer T Natarajan being the pick of the bunch, bowling a brilliant spell of 1-11 in his quota of four overs. All-rounder Jason Holder and seamer Sandeep Sharma picked up a couple of wickets each, while Rashid Khan recorded figures of 1-24 in his four overs as they combined to restrict Bangalore to just 120 in their batting effort. A stunning display from the unit.
Chahal's valiant effort
Tasked with defending just 121, Bangalore needed a monumental effort from their bowlers and spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was up to the task, giving away just 19 runs in his 3.1 overs and picking up two key wickets. While Chahal was unplayable, the rest of the Bangalore bowling unit failed to emulate his lead as Bangalore succumbed to defeat in just 14.1 overs. However, Chahal was a rare silver lining on a terrible day for Bangalore.
Holder's helping hand
Having sat out most of the season, West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder has made a big impact for Hyderabad and in today’s must-win encounter for his side, he delivered his best performance of the season in a terrific display with both bat and ball. In the first innings, Holder gave away just 25 runs in his quota of four overs and picked up two scalps at the death, and that restricted Bangalore to just 120. With the game still in the balance during Hyderabad's chase, Holder walked in and smashed 26 off 10 balls to get his side over the line and keep them alive in the competition. The West Indian’s stellar display with bat and ball was the reason for Hyderabad’s cruise to victory.
Only the strong shall survive
Hyderabad's win means that all but two teams have something to play for in the final four matches of the league stage of this season. Mumbai, who Hyderabad will battle in the final league stage match, have already secured a top 2 berth while Chennai are out of the race for a spot in the playoffs. Two points separate six teams on the table and each team has their destiny in their own hands ahead of the final round of fixtures of this season.
Feature image courtesy: Twitter.com / Hyderabad
