Zampa has IPL in a spin with super six

The match in a tweet: Zampa’s record-breaking spell in vain as the Sunrisers suffocate Pune and defend 138 to claim top spot.

The result: Sunrisers Hyderabad 8-137 beat Rising Pune Supergiants 8-133 by four runs

The hero: Adam Zampa was phenomenal. Playing in just his second IPL match, Zampa bamboozled the Sunrisers batsmen to finish with record figures of 6-19 from four overs. It was the best return by an Australian in Twenty20 cricket, and the second-best figures ever in the IPL. Given the responsibility of bowling three overs at the death by MS Dhoni, the leg-spinner responded brilliantly by picking up six wickets in 18 deliveries. First he tricked the ominous looking Yuvraj Singh with a lovely googly which the left-hander hit straight up in the air. In the next over he dismissed Kane Williamson and Moises Henriques in consecutive deliveries, deceiving them both with drift, turn and flight. Then in the final over of the innings, he spun a big leg break past Deepak Hooda and bowled a slider to knock over Naman Ojha's stumps, before drawing another false stroke from Bhuveshwar Kumar of the last ball of the innings to snare his sixth victim. It was one of the finest exhibitions of leg-spin bowling in the T20 format of the game.

The veteran: Ashish Nehra keeps getting better with age. The 37-year-old, backed up his man-of-the-match effort from couple of nights ago with another fine display of swing and death bowling to finish with 3-29. With Pune requiring 14 runs to win off the last over, Nehra held his nerve by picking up two crucial wickets – plus a run-out – and conceding just 10 to give Sunrisers a special victory.

The support cast: The Sunrisers bowlers continue to show why they are the best bowling unit this season. Defending a modest total of 137, Kumar (1-20), Barinder Sran (1-26) and Mustafizur Rahman (0-26) bowled with supreme control to choke the Supergiants. On a pitch that was difficult to score on, the innings of Williamson (32 from 37) and Shikar Dhawan (33 from 27) also proved to be vital in a low scoring thriller. 

The catch: Needing five to win from the last ball – with a boundary to force a super-over – David Warner decided to keep his third-man fielder inside the circle. Zampa, the man on strike, edged a wide yorker by Nehra. The ball looked to be heading straight to the third-man rope but keeper Ojha dived full-stretch to his right to pouch the catch and secure the win.

The quote: Former Indian leg-spinner turned commentator, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan" “Zampa! Not only does he approach the wicket like Shane Warne he can bowl and out-think the batsman like the legend as well.”

The controversy: Chasing 138, Pune was in trouble at 2-19 and it should have been 3-19 when George Bailey edged one to the wicketkeeper off Kumar. Fortunately for Bailey, the umpire failed to hear or sight the thick edge and he survived. To rub salt into the wound, Bailey went on to score a further 23 crucial runs but luckily for Sunrisers they would have the last laugh.

The stats: Adam Zampa figures of 4-0-19-6 are the best figures by a leg-spin bowler in T20 cricket. Zampa figures are also the best by any Australian in the T20 format.  Only Sohail Tanvir has managed better figures than Zampa in nine years of the IPL.

The next-stops: It does not get any easier for the Supergiants as they confront the table-topping Knightriders in Kolkata. The Sunrisers in the meanwhile, head back home to take on the Delhi Daredevils.