MALLANPUR, India: Sunrisers Hyderabad pulled off a dramatic two-run win over Punjab Kings despite dropping three catches in the final over on Tuesday in the Indian Premier League.
Needing 29 off Jaydev Unadkat’s final six balls, Punjab nearly went over the line when Ashutosh Sharma (33 not out) was thrice dropped in the deep with two resulting in sixes before the home team finished at 180-6.
Earlier, 20-year-old Nitesh Kumar Reddy hit his maiden T20 half-century and anchored Hyderabad to 182-9 with a 37-ball knock of 64 after Punjab won the toss and elected to field in its second home game of the season.
Punjab’s top-order fell apart against pace as Jonny Bairstow’s struggling IPL season continued when the Englishman got clean bowled by Pat Cummins for zero while attempting a shot across the line.
Wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen’s decision to come up to the wicket against Bhuvneshwar Kumar was rewarded when he got Shikhar Dhawan (14) stumped a ball after the Punjab skipper was dropped in the slip and the home team slipped to 20-3 in the fourth over.
Sam Curran (29) was brilliantly snapped by diving Cummins and Sikandar Raza (28) couldn’t convert a good start before falling to Unadkat in the 14th over.
Shashank Singh, who made unbeaten 46 off 25 balls, and Sharma countercharged in the last three overs, but despite smacking Unadkat for 26 runs they couldn’t take their team home.
Earlier, Hyderabad lost three wickets inside the batting power play for the first time this season with Arshdeep Singh (4-29) dismissing Travis Head (21) and Aiden Markram (0) in one over and Abhishek Sharma (16) getting caught in the covers while driving uppishly against Curran.
Hyderabad used its impact substitute inside the batting powerplay but Rahul Tripathi tried to uppercut Harshal Patel’s (2-30) short ball and was caught behind for 11. Patel also had the key wicket of Klaasen, who was caught on the edge of long-off boundary by Curran, but Reddy’s aggression in the last six overs lifted Hyderabad’s total.
Reddy smacked spinner Harpreet Brar (0-48) for 22 runs in his final over but got a life soon after completing his half-century off 32 balls when Singh dropped a sitter at mid-wicket.
Arshdeep Singh returned and claimed two more wickets in one over for the second time in the innings as Reddy holed out at long-off off a low full toss and Abdul Samad (25) was caught at deep backward point.
Punjab conceded a vital six runs off the final ball when Patel palmed the ball over the fence at long-on as Unadkat attempted a big hit against Curran’s slower and those runs eventually cost the home team in the end.
Hyderabad broke into top five with six points from five games while Punjab is at No. 6 with two wins and three defeats.
Hyderabad beats Punjab by 2 runs in IPL despite dropping 3 catches in final over
https://arab.news/yg5rt
Hyderabad beats Punjab by 2 runs in IPL despite dropping 3 catches in final over
- Needing 29 off Jaydev Unadkat’s final six balls, Punjab nearly went over the line when Ashutosh Sharma (33 not out) was thrice dropped in the deep with two resulting in sixes before finishing at 180-6
- 20-year-old Nitesh Kumar Reddy hit his maiden T20 half-century and anchored Hyderabad to 182-9 with a 37-ball knock of 64 after Punjab won the toss and elected to field
Al-Fateh grab second win on the trot, Al-Taawoun keep up pressure in title race
- Al-Fateh win 2 consecutive games for the first time this season and move to 11 points
- Al-Taawoun grab late winner against last-placed Al-Najma to stay within 4 points of Al-Nassr
RIYADH: Matchday 12 of the Saudi Pro League got underway on Monday with Al-Khaleej hosting Al-Fateh in the first of the evening’s three fixtures.
Despite producing a strong display in a 3-2 loss to Al-Hilal last week, Al-Khaleej lost 1-0 to Al-Fateh, with Matias Vargas scoring the decisive goal.
Al-Fateh’s strategy was clear: Moroccan midfielder Sofiane Bendebka would be flanked by Mourad Batna and Vargas in a fluid attacking set-up, allowing him to drift between a second-striker role and deeper midfield positions.
The free-flowing forwards enabled Al-Fateh to take control of the final third, with Batna cutting in from the right flank proving to be a dangerous asset in Al-Fateh’s arsenal.
That combination paid dividends in the 41st minute, when Batna delivered a diagonal ball across the pitch to find Vargas, who calmly chipped the ball over Anthony Moris to open the scoring.
It marked the Argentinian’s fourth goal in three matches, with his recent form directly contributing six points — more than half of Al-Fateh’s total this season.
Al-Khaleej were unable to replicate the same intensity shown against Al-Hilal, despite the introduction of club top scorer Joshua King after the break and Pedro Rebocho’s marauding role down the left.
Their clearest opportunity came in the 68th minute, when Rebocho squared the ball to Giorgos Masouras only for his effort to hit the post.
Al-Fateh then adopted a more cautious approach, looking to exploit Al-Khaleej on the counter. They nearly doubled their lead in the 88th minute when Vargas teed up Bendebka, but the midfielder’s powerful backheel crashed against the woodwork.
The defeat marks a slowdown for Al-Khaleej after an encouraging start to the campaign, with this being their third consecutive loss, now leaving them on just 14 points from 11 matches.
Elsewhere, Al-Hazem travelled to the capital to face Al-Riyadh, securing a 2-1 victory thanks to goals from Nawaf Al-Habashi and Omar Al-Somah.
The Syrian striker netted his 157th Saudi Pro League goal, extending his lead over Abderazzak Hamedallah at the top of the all-time scoring charts and helping Al-Hazem move further clear of the relegation zone.
In Qassim, third-placed Al-Taawoun edged bottom side Al-Najma in a tightly contested encounter. A late strike from Roger Martinez in the 85th minute sealed a 1-0 win, Al-Taawoun’s ninth of the season, keeping them firmly in the title race.
Pericles Chamusca’s side have exceeded expectations with their stellar start to the season. The Wolves move into second with 28 points, two ahead of Al-Hilal in third and two behind league leaders Al-Nassr, with both sides still holding a game in hand.
It marks the best start to a Saudi Pro League season in Al-Taawoun’s history, a run that continues to surprise in a league filled with established stars.
Matchday 12 on Tuesday starts with Al-Ahli vs. Al-Fayha, followed by Al-Ettifaq vs. Al-Nassr and Al-Okhdood vs. Damac later in the evening.
