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
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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
NEOM concede at the death for the second week in a row as Al-Taawoun salvage late draw
- NEOM narrowly lost to Al-Nassr 1-0 last weekend after Mohamed Simakan scored an injury-time winner
- Al-Taawoun followed up with a late equalizer by Mohammed Al-Kuwaykibi to deny them three points
RIYADH: The Saudi Pro League returned for Matchday 26, with the table beginning to take its final shape as the season enters its final quarter. The title contenders kick off on Friday and Saturday, but Thursday’s action focused on a clash between upper mid-table sides NEOM and Al-Taawoun, alongside three relegation-battlers — Al-Najma, Damac and Al-Kholood — attempting to improve their standings.
In Tabuk, NEOM played out a 2-2 draw with Al-Taawoun, this season’s surprise package under the returning Pericles Chamusca. After a brilliant start to the campaign that saw them spend much of the season in the top four, a poor run of just one win in their last eight games has followed.
Al-Taawoun’s late equaliser was vital in their bid to maintain a spot in the top five. With Al-Ittihad lurking just three points behind and yet to play this weekend, every point matters for the Wolves of Qassim. Regardless, it has become a painful second half of the season for Chamusca’s side, as they now sit 12 points behind the top four.
After a heroic performance from Luis Maximiano against Al-Nassr last weekend, NEOM were unfortunate to leave Riyadh empty-handed after conceding at the death. There were still plenty of positives from the defeat, as Christophe Galtier’s squad appear to have finally hit second gear this season.
Calm and collected against Al-Nassr, they repeated the same approach against Al-Taawoun. Knowing their opponents thrive on space in the transition, NEOM prevented them from accessing wingers Marin Petkov and Biel, leaving star striker Roger Martinez isolated for most of the match.
Amadou Koné and Abdoulaye Doucouré did their part to disrupt the centre of Al-Taawoun’s block, with the former driving forward and the latter drifting in between the lines to create the opener. In the 23rd minute, Al-Taawoun’s defence were pulled apart as Luciano Rodríguez met Doucouré’s precise through ball to slot home.
NEOM maintained their composure throughout the match, but it took a wonder strike from Martinez to bring the visitors level in the 70th minute, the Colombian producing a superb strike from distance.
It only took six minutes for NEOM to respond. Saïd Benrahma broke down the Al-Taawoun defence once again, releasing Alexandre Lacazette for a powerful finish to restore the hosts’ lead.
Despite the strong performance from NEOM, they ultimately fell victim to another late setback. Substitute Mohammed Al-Kuwaykibi surged down the flank in stoppage time before cutting inside and curling a precise finesse shot beyond Maximiano to salvage a point.
Elsewhere, Damac continued their resurgence under Fabio Carrille with a 3-1 victory over Al-Najma, who remain rooted to the bottom of the table. The win moves Damac six points clear of Al-Riyadh in the relegation zone, while Al-Najma sit 14 points from safety with eight matches remaining.
Meanwhile, Al-Hazem secured a late victory after Abdulaziz Al-Dwehe netted an 86th-minute winner in a 2-1 triumph over Al-Kholood. It was a frustrating night for the Saudi Pro League’s all-time leading scorer Omar Al-Somah, who missed a penalty for the winners in the 60th minute.
Saudi Pro League action resumes on Friday, with Al-Fayha hosting Al-Ettifaq and Al-Riyadh welcoming Al-Ittihad at 10:00pm. The headline fixture of the evening — kicking off at the same time — sees second-placed Al-Ahli travel to face fourth-placed Al-Qadsiah. Victory for Al-Ahli against tough opposition would strengthen their title push, while defeat for Al-Qadsiah could effectively end their unlikely championship hopes.
