swing and a miss! Dug into the track outside off stump. Samad swings himself off his feet but can only connect with fresh air. Sort of sums up SRH;s evening too! RR win by 72 runs!
7:45pm Right. That will be that from us for this game. But the action in the IPL does not stop. RCB have gotten off to an excellent start in their game vs MI. Do join us for that match too. Until next time, this is me (Shashwat) signing off on behalf of Ranjith, Raghav and everyone else at ESPNcricinfo! Goodbye and take care!
Jos Buttler, Player of the Match: It is a fantastic start for us. We had a really good season last season but it counts for nothing this year. (On if he goes in to bat with some pre-conceived ideas) A little bit. You try to plan a bit but you try to assess the conditions, put the opposition under pressure. Really enjoying my batting at the moment and trying to keep a clear mind. (On his pull shot) Not particularly. Keeping a clear mind and once you get a good start in the powerplay, it allows you to be aggressive.
Sanju Samson, Rajasthan Royals captain: I am just wondering how we will start the season and very happy with the win. Having batters like Jos and Yashasvi, we can expect that (breaking records in the powerplay). I think we definitely are a very good side but in this format and this league, you never know. We have to keep our heads down, focus on our processes. I personally wanted to stay there and finish the innings off. I think we did reasonably well. There should be strengths, but there should be weaknesses also. (On what RR's weakness is) You might find out as the tournament goes on (chuckles).
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sunrisers Hyderabad captain: We have to just work at it and move forward. The last five-six overs in our bowling and Umran's knock at the end - they were a couple of positives. There was something in it for the slow bowlers. It is the first match of the season and there is a lot to improve. South Africans are coming back, our captain is coming back and we will be a much better batting unit. We need to execute our plans and hopefully we will get better. It was a pretty good track and like what we get in Hyderabad. We can prepare whatever we want (in terms of the pitch) but we are not too worried about that.
Yuzvendra Chahal, Rajasthan Royals spinner: The way we got the start in the batting, the way Jos and Yashasvi batted…we knew 200 was a good score on this wicket. (Tussle with Brook) My plan was to vary my pace and bowl stump to stump. It is always my strength. I am doing nothing new and I am just backing my strengths. (On a possible new celebration) We will see when I get five wickets or anything, hopefully something new will come.
7:22pm Well, that turned into a very one-sided contest. SRH, just like it was the case at the start of their bowling innings, did not turn up in the powerplay. Abhishek and Tripathi were nipped out by Boult, with Brook also struggling to get going. Once that trio perished, too much of the burden fell on Mayank. With Sundar and Phillips also enduring bad days at the office, the writing was on the wall for them.
RR, meanwhile, would be thrilled with how they bowled. Boult set the tone at the start. Chahal followed suit in the middle overs. Ashwin was also at his miserly best, and RR, despite the runs Saini leaked in the last over, never felt out of control in the second innings. In short, it was a display that tells the rest of the IPL that they mean business again, and that they intend to go one better than last season.
slower delivery on a length on leg stump. Samad lets the ball come to him before swinging it away past short fine leg for four!
four more! In the slot outside off stump. Samad throws the kitchen sink at it and scythes it over backward point for another boundary!
banged into the track. Umran clears his front leg and flat-bats it towards long on. The fielder misfields but Samad declines the opportunity of a second run
SRH need about 20 more of these No balls, though, unfortunately
what a shot! Umran is on fire! Banged into the track outside off stump. Umran rises with the bounce and clatters it over wide long on! And it is a No ball, oh dear!
length delivery on middle and leg stump. Samad has a hack at it and toe-ends it down the ground for a single
six more! In the slot, and Samad finally clears the fence! He has a swing at it and heaves it over deep square leg for six!
full toss just outside off stump. Umran continues swinging and this time, flays it past extra cover for a couple of runs
massive! Back of a length delivery on middle and leg stump. Umran opens up his stance again and smears it over deep mid wicket for six!
shot! Back of a length delivery outside off stump. Umran clears his front leg and absolutely crunches it over mid off for four!
yorker on middle and off stump. Umran gets his bat down in time and digs it out towards the bowler
back of a length delivery outside off stump. Umran swings like a rusty gate and misses the ball by quite some distance
full toss outside off stump. Samad throws his hands at it and slices it towards deep point for a single
Boult returns for his fourth over
full delivery on middle and off stump. Umran comes forward and pushes it towards extra cover
Umran is the new batter in. One slip and leg slip in place
cleans him up! Googly on a length on middle and off stump. Kumar has no clue about it and looks to crash it through the off side. The ball rips back into him, cuts him in half and then disturbs the furniture! RR just two wickets away from victory now!
full delivery just outside off stump. Kumar has a massive swish at it but only gets an inside edge that pops up off his boot towards the bowler
slowed up on a length on middle and leg stump. Kumar goes back and nudges it between long on and deep mid wicket for a brace
length delivery fired into leg stump. Samad comes down the track and works it into the on side for just another single
slow and on a back of a length outside off stump. Samad gives it everything he has but still does not make contact
Chahal to bowl out
slower delivery dug into the track on off stump. Samad gets up on his toes and clogs it towards deep mid wicket for a single
Sunil : "I was telling my friend yesterday about SRH performance this season. I will really be surprised if SRH is not in bottom 2 at the end of the season. Though long way to go but they're living upto my expectations. " -- There is still a long way to go in this tournament, and teams have previously come back from an opening-game mauling to win the entire thing
1W | ||||
2W | ||||
1W | ||||
1W | ||||
1W | ||||
Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad | |
Toss | Sunrisers Hyderabad, elected to field first |
Series | |
Season | 2023 |
Player Of The Match | |
Match days | 02 April 2023 - daynight (20-over match) |
SRH Player Replacement | Impact player: Abdul Samad in, Fazalhaq Farooqi out (2nd innings, 9.3 ov) |
RR Player Replacement | Impact player: Navdeep Saini in, Yashasvi Jaiswal out (2nd innings, 10.6 ov) |
Umpires | |
TV Umpire | |
Reserve Umpire | |
Match Referee | |
Points | Rajasthan Royals 2, Sunrisers Hyderabad 0 |
Over 20 • SRH 131/8
Royals won by 72 runs