Twenty20 cricket has taken the world by storm and Friday’s Indian Premier League match between the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders was a prime example of its popularity. The match was a run-fest, with 433 runs scored and a multitude of dropped catches making for a thrilling game.
The Sunrisers ultimately emerged victorious, securing their second consecutive win in four matches, thanks in part to standout performances from Harry Brook and Aiden Markram for Hyderabad and Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh for Kolkata. Here are the five highlights of the match that had cricket fans on the edge of their seats.
An absolute run fest, albeit aided to some extent by an astonishing number of dropped catches, the 19th match in a tournament that has held a nation spellbound, delivered another game for the ages.
After 40 electrifying overs were bowled, a resurgent Sunrisers recorded its second successive win in four matches when denying a fearless Knight Riders by 23 runs in a match that yielded a mammoth 433 runs.
Even as cricket statisticians worked frantically to record every incredible detail of the game, one could not but applaud some of the most stirring performances with the bat by the likes of Harry Brook and Aiden Markram for Hyderabad and Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh for Kolkata.
- Going for Brook
Harry Brook, the record-breaking England Test batsman, put on a masterclass at the Eden Gardens that had home fans standing up to applaud his unbeaten century. The 24-year-old opener smashed boundaries off attempted leg-side yorkers and scored 66 runs off just 26 deliveries against the Kolkata pace attack of Umesh Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Sunil Narine, and Andre Russell. Sunrisers will be hoping for more fireworks from Brook to keep their playoff hopes alive.
- Markram cameo
Aiden Markram, the captain of the South African T20 team, was just as explosive against the spin bowlers, smacking 42 off 22 in a breathtaking 62-run partnership. Markram displayed outstanding innovation at the crease, hitting half-volleys and googlies over the ropes and forcing the bowlers to search for greater variation and tricks when taking calculated risks with the reverse sweep shot.
- Middle-order acceleration
After Varun Chakravarthy got the dangerous Markram, Abhishek Sharma arrived at the crease to assist Brook in hauling Hyderabad to a total from which they could dominate. The talented 22-year-old from Punjab scored an invaluable 32 off just 16, singling out leg spinner Suyash Sharma and Narine for punishment in the slog overs.
- Rana’s audacious innings
Despite being throttled early in the chase when they lost three wickets for just 20 runs, Kolkata stuck to its guns and gamely chased the target. Nitish Rana led from the front with an audacious innings of 75, working singles and twos and waiting for the right balls to punish.
- Rinku’s dynamic knocks
Rinku Singh has become one of the finds of the tournament, proving that the five sixes he hit in KKR’s stunning last-over victory over Gujarat Titans was just the start of many dynamic knocks he is capable of playing. Keep your eyes on this talented left-hander.
Despite some dreadful fielding in the deep, where catches were dropped at regular intervals, the Sunrisers held their composure under the motivating Markram in extreme pressure. The team’s management will be looking to strengthen their fielding during training sessions to prevent costly mistakes in future matches.
Twenty20 cricket is undoubtedly one of the world’s most popular sports, and Friday’s IPL match was further evidence of this fact. With such thrilling performances from some of the sport’s brightest stars, it’s easy to see why fans are so captivated by this fast-paced and action-packed format.
