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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Pant heroics in vain as Hyderabad continue to win

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Hyderabad: Rishabh Pant played one of the most incredible knocks of the VIVO IPL ever but even his blazing century wasn’t enough as Sunrisers Hyderabad overcame a challenging 188-run target with ease. A clinical batting display from Shikhar Dhawan and captain Kane Williamson resulted in an unbroken 176 runs stand that decimated the run chase and ensured their playoff berth. On the other hand, a nine-wicket drubbing has ended the home team’s playoff campaign.


On a pitch that looked slow, nobody would have expected that close to 380 runs will be scored in the match. The home team first lost both their openers in the fourth over and suffered another twin blow when captain Shreyas Iyer and pinch-hitter Harshal Patel were run-out. On both occasions, Pant was the non-striker. He continued to remain in the thick of things as he launched a counter-attack.


He smashed the ball with his brute force and took on every SRH bowler. By the time he got his fifty, it was mayhem as he was clearing the ropes with ease. While scoops are difficult to execute, Pant has gone a step further with his version of reverse scoops. It not only provided a visual delight but brought him plenty of runs. He brought up his century in just 56 balls and it was also the tournament’s 50th century. He finished unbeaten on 128 from 63 and ended up getting the highest IPL score by an Indian.


The Sunrisers came out with a positive mindset and even though they lost Alex Hales early, there was no drop in intensity. Williamson, who joined Dhawan batted freely and the two rotated the strike regularly. While Dhawan was the aggressor, Williamson was equally brilliant from the other end. Dhawan brought up his fifty in 30 balls and Williamson got to the mark in 38 balls.


They continued to attack and found the big overs as the Daredevils tried every trick to end the partnership. In the end, the total was overhauled with seven balls to spare.


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