A devastating opening stand followed by a historic bowling effort from their ace helped Hyderabad trounce Delhi and keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
Here are the key talking points from the contest:
David the Goliath
With Jonny Bairstow absent, the onus was on skipper David Warner to ensure that Hyderabad got off to a flyer in this contest and he did just that, smashing a 50 inside the Powerplay, becoming the first batsman to achieve the feat this season. Warner smashed 22 off an over against Delhi ace Kagiso Rabada, helping Hyderabad post the highest Powerplay score by any team this season. Warner was eventually dismissed after scoring 66 but it was his blistering knock that laid the foundation of an incredible batting display by Hyderabad.
Rabada's rare blank
The league’s leading wicket-taker had a night to forget, finishing with figures of 0-54 in his quota of four, his worst performance this season by quite some margin. This match also ended Rabada's 25-match streak of picking atleast a wicket. His previous blank came in 2018, coincidentally against Hyderabad, where he finished with figures of 0-57 in his four overs. A sight as rare as they come.
Rashid's ridiculous spell
While Delhi's ace with the ball had a nightmarish outing, Hyderabad’s main man Rashid Khan bowled a dream spell, finishing with scarcely believable figures of 3-7 in his quota of four overs. This was the fourth most economical spell in Indian T20 League history, behind Ashish Nehra, Fidel Edwards and Yuzvendra Chahal, all of whom gave away just six runs in their quota of four overs. An incredible spell by the Afghani wizard.
Saha's superb performance
With Bairstow out, many expected Kane Williamson to open the innings alongside Warner, but instead, the Hyderabad think-tank opted for Wriddhimann Saha and the decision proved to be a masterstroke, as the wicketkeeper-batsman smashed 87 off 45 balls to help Hyderabad post a mammoth 219 on the scoreboard. The veteran's incredible knock featured 12 boundaries and two sixes before a mistimed shot ended his knock before he could reach his century.
Feature image courtesy: Twitter.com / Indian T20 League
