A monster second-wicket stand overshadows Rishabh Pant's incredible century as Sunrisers book finals berth
Match Report:
ScorecardSunrisers eclipse Pant's blazing ton
The result: Sunrisers Hyderabad 1-191 (Dhawan 92*, Williamson 83*) beat Delhi Daredevils 5-187 (Pant 128*, Patel 1-32) by 9 wickets.
The match in a tweet: Two bats are better than one as Williamson and Dhawan overcome Pant's blazing century with monster second-wicket stand #DDvSRH
It was the batsmen today who stole the show getting a 176 run partnership off the 2nd wicket finishing off the match with a boundary with 9 wickets and 7 balls remaining.#DDvSRH #IPL2018 pic.twitter.com/b6C4ozdl61— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) May 10, 2018
The Standout Knock: Coming to the crease at the start of the fifth over, Rishabh Pant wasted no time in showing why he's been the leading run-scorer so far in IPL 11. The left-hander carved his way to a hat-trick of boundaries from his first three deliveries before retreating back into his shell for the next few overs, only to explode once again in the eleventh with a ferocious pulled six and another that found the fine leg boundary. From there the switch had been flicked; the star young star batsman going on a rampage as he collected 98 runs from his next 37 balls, combining outstanding ball-striking with innovative strokeplay - several daring reverse ramp shots the highlight of his brilliant knock. He brought up his maiden IPL century in the nineteenth over, before smashing boundaries off the final five deliveries of the innings (including three consecutive sixes) to finish unbeaten on 128 from 63 deliveries, single-handedly boosting the Daredevils to a defendable 5-187 after contributing almost two-thirds of his side's total.
The Clinical Chase: The chances of any of the Sunrisers matching Pant's individual exploits were slim, but also unnecessary thanks to the combined efforts of captain Kane Williamson and Shikhar Dhawan at the top of the order. After losing opener Alex Hales in the second over, the pair put their combined international experience to use as they added a season-record 176-run partnership for the second wicket, chasing down Delhi's total in clinical fashion to arrive at the total with two full overs to spare. On a deck that looked to be slow prior to the start of play there didn't look to be any issues with the ball coming onto the bat as Williamson and Dhawan found the boundary 24 times between them, sewing up a spot in IPL playoffs in the process.
Image Id: FC263A567B154F8CAEF562D569BCF57D Image Caption: Rishabh Pant celebrates his maiden IPL century // BCCICaptain Kane does it again: His was only the third-highest score of the night, but Kane Williamson was again flawless as he anchored the Sunrisers run chase and provided the perfect foil for Shikhar Dhawan's 93* off 50. After being thrust into the captaincy role just prior to the tournament in the absence of the banned David Warner, the Blackcaps captain hasn't missed a beat. Not only is his side sitting pretty atop the IPL ladder with a 9-2 record, but he's also the tournament's second-leading run-scorer after peeling off his second consecutive fifty and sixth for the tournament; his 493 runs coming at a whopping average of 61.6 per outing.
The next stop: With a playoff berth now sewn up, Sunrisers Hyderabad will turn their attention to securing a home final as well as perfecting their tactics and line-up when they take on Chennai in Pune on Sunday. Meanwhile Ricky Ponting's men will be playing simply for pride when they face Royal Challengers Bangalore at home on Saturday.
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