Pant’s unbeaten 128 in vain as SRH makes it to play-off stage

Pant (128 not out off 63 balls) was unstoppable as he toyed with arguably the best bowling attack in the competition, single-handedly giving a fighting chance to a struggling Delhi side. 

However, Sunrisers, which has been defending modest totals in this IPL, proved it can also chase down big totals as Shikhar Dhawan (92 off 50 balls) and captain Kane Williamson (83 off 53 balls) guided it home with seven balls to spare. 

Sunrisers had lost Alex Hales early in the innings but Dhawan and Williamson put on 176 runs in 17 overs to quell the Delhi challenge. 

Pant’s special knock comprising 15 fours and seven sixes also more than made up for his involvement in run-outs of captain Shreyas Iyer (3 off 7) and a set Hasrshal Patel (24 off 17). Delhi decided to put scoreboard pressure on the opposition by deciding to bat but things did not go according to plan in the powerplay. 

Shakib Al Hasan struck off consecutive balls in the fourth over to remove  in-form opener Prithvi Shaw (9) and Englishman Jason Roy (11), leaving Delhi at 21 for two.  Shaw mistimed a pull off a short ball and Shikhar Dhawan latched on to it at cover. Shakib sent back Roy the very next ball with a beauty that turned away just enough to take the edge to the wicket-keeper.   

Pant released the pressure with a hat-trick of boundaries against Siddharth Kaul in the sixth over before doing the same to lead spinner Rashid Khan in the 12th over. Delhi had crawled to 52 for three in 10 overs but Pant’s power hitting quickly changed the course of the game. He reached the 50-run mark with his trademark hit, a six over midwicket off Shakib. He got to the 100 in a similar fashion, muscling a full toss from Kaul for six over midwicket. The way Pant took on the likes of Shakib, Kaul and Bhuvenshwar Kumar was commendable. The left-hander was also at his innovative best as he used the scoop shot over third man not once but thrice. 

Two of those scoops came in the final over bowled by Bhuvneshwar who proved to be the most expensive bowler for Sunrisers, leaking 51 runs in four overs. 

It was a rare off day for the India pacer. The 20th over saw Pant dispatching Bhuvneshwar for three consecutive sixes, including a one-handed one that sailed over long-on. Thanks to Pant, Delhi amassed 138 runs in the last 10 overs. Pacer Kaul too had a forgettable outing as he conceded 48 runs off his four overs.

BRIEF SCORES: DD 187 for five in 20 overs (Rishabh Pant 128 not out, Harshal Patel 24, Shakib al Hasan 2/27, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1/51) lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad 191 for one in 18.5 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 92 not out, Kane Williamson 83 not out)