Delhi Capitals' return to their traditional home ground, Arun Jaitley Stadium, turned out to be a forgettable outing as they were hammered by Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday, April 20.
After opting to bowl first, Rishabh Pant saw his premier bowler in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, Khaleel Ahmed, being thrashed for 19 runs by the left-handed opening duo of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head. Instead of pitching the ball up and searching for swing, the left-arm pacer bowled short and wide and gave the batters the chance to free their arms.
Former India opener Wasim Jaffer criticized Khaleel for his erratic first over and said that it played into the hands of Head and Abhishek.
“We were surprised by the way Khaleel started bowling short to him. You needed to pitch the ball up and allow it to swing. They just played in his hands, bowling short and giving him the start that he wanted,” Jaffer told ESPNcricinfo.
Off-spin bowling all-rounder Lalit Yadav was introduced into the attack in the second over but conceded 21 runs. Sunrisers raced to 40 in the first couple of overs and never really looked back. Jaffer noted that Lalit didn't get any assistance off the deck and the Hyderabad batters made merry.
“The pitch was so good, Lalit Yadav did not have any help, and it was just hitting from the lengths. They just started very badly and it did not stop after that,” Jaffer added.
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After the rollicking start in the first couple of overs, Head and Abhishek showed no remorse as they continued to treat the Delhi bowlers with disdain. They went on to register the highest powerplay score in IPL history as 125 runs came off the first six overs. Abhishek was dismissed for a 12-ball 46 before Head departed for a 32-ball 89. The Australian batter equalled the fastest fifty by an SRH batter in IPL history as he reached the milestone in just 16 balls. Shahbaz Ahmed scored an unbeaten 29-ball 59 to take Sunrisers to a daunting total of 266/7 in their 20 overs.
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In reply, Jake Fraser-McGurk impressed once again with an 18-ball 65 and Abhishek Porel also hit a fluent 22-ball 42 but some tight bowling through the middle overs helped Sunrisers win by 67 runs after they bowled out Pant and Co. for 199 in 19.1 overs.
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