Afghan prodigy dominates with bat, ball and in the field to help Sunrisers overcome KKR and advance to IPL final
Match Report:
ScorecardRashid's perfect game advances Sunrisers
The result: Sunrisers Hyderabad 7-174 (Rashid 34no, Kuldeep 2-29) defeated Kolkata Knight Riders 9-161 (Lynn 48, Rashid 3-19) by 13 runs.
The match in a tweet: All-round Rashid puts on all-round show to elevate Sunrisers Hyderabad to IPL final and eliminate KKR at home #KKRvSRH
He did it with his bat in the 1st innings and followed it up with his bowling and awesome fielding in the 2nd innings to win the much deserved Man of The Match award. Congratulations to @rashidkhan_19 as we get set to bring the cup back home #IPL2018#SRHvKKR #IPL2018Playoffs pic.twitter.com/mA6xZ9jhWH%E2%80%94 SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) 25 May 2018
The Rashid Khan Show: A player's legacy are often formed in crunch games, and young leg-spin prodigy Rashid Khan couldn't have done much more to add to his after almost single-handedly elevating his side into the IPL final. Coming to the crease in the 19th over of the first innings with Sunrisers floundering at 7-138, Rashid struck a blistering 34no off just 10 balls (including four sixes and two fours) in a fighting cameo that boosted his side's total to a defendable 7-174 that took the wind completely out of the home side's sails. He then followed it up with a typically brilliant spell with the ball, finishing with figures of 3-19, including 12 dot balls and the big scalps of Chris Lynn and Andre Russell, before assisting in a run-out and taking two crucial catches in the field to seal the win for the visitors.
In doing so, the 19-year-old not only booked his side a place in the big dance, but also became just the fourth cricketer in IPL history to score 30-plus runs, take three or more wickets and hold on to at least two catches in a single match, earning plenty of praise from some of the biggest names in the game.
Always felt @rashidkhan_19 was a good spinner but now I wouldn’t hesitate in saying he is the best spinner in the world in this format. Mind you, he’s got some batting skills as well. Great guy.%E2%80%94 Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) 25 May 2018
As a leg spinner I love seeing all the different types of leg spinners playing in the #IPL but watching @rashidkhan_19 bowl in these big games makes me proud as he loves this stage & pressure it also gets me excited ! 👍%E2%80%94 Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) 25 May 2018
The Rest: It was an unbelievable all-round performance from Rashid, but the young leggie did receive some help from his teammates as well. A 56-run stand at the top of the order from Wriddhiman Saha and Shikhar Dhawan got things going for the visitors in the first innings, while Siddarth Kaul (2-34 from four overs) Carlos Braithwaite (2-16 from two overs) and Shakib Al Hasan (1-16 from three overs) all played their part with the ball to prevent a late KKR boilover. Meanwhile for Kolkata, Lynn finished as his side's best with a brisk 48 off 31 balls, while Kuldeep Yadav looked like he could have been the hero at one point after taking 2-29 from his four overs.
The next stop: It’s all or nothing now for Sunrisers Hyderabad when they go up against the most successful team in IPL history in the Chennai Super Kings, who are seeking their fourth IPL crown. The Sunrisers are no strangers to success however; they won the title as recently as 2016 when David Warner led the Orange Army to glory over Royal Challengers Bangalore. However, despite a solid 2018 campaign overall, SRH's form slipped towards the latter stages (their Qualifying Final win was just the Sunrisers' first victory since May 10 over Delhi) meaning they'll need to defy recent form in order to overcome the men in yellow.
Australian viewers can watch the 2018 season of the IPL exclusively on Fox Sports