Rajasthan Royals' five-match winning streak came to a heartbreaking end as SunRisers Hyderabad clinched a last-ball victory in a thrilling IPL 2024 encounter Thursday at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar emerged as the hero for the home side, taking two wickets with the new ball and defending 13 runs in the final over. Rovman Powell was trapped lbw on the last delivery, needing two runs for victory.
Kumar, who had jolted Rajasthan's chase with the wickets of Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson in the first over, returned to hold his nerve in a dramatic final over. SunRisers successfully defended their total of 201 by the narrowest of margins, snapping a two-match losing streak.
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SunRisers Recover from Slow Start
Earlier, SunRisers overcame a cautious start thanks to a half-century from Nitish Reddy and a well-paced 58 from Travis Head. The duo put together a crucial partnership after the hosts slumped to 37 for 2 at the end of the powerplay, their lowest total in the first six overs this season.
Reddy, who remained unbeaten on 76 with eight sixes, took the attack to the bowlers, particularly punishing Yuzvendra Chahal for 21 runs in a single over. Head, meanwhile, contributed with three sixes and as many boundaries. Heinrich Klaasen provided a late flourish with a quickfire 42 off 19 balls to propel SunRisers to a competitive total.
Chahal Leaks Runs, Royals Respond
Despite Chahal's expensive spell (62 runs), Rajasthan looked poised for victory thanks to their batting depth. However, Kumar's stellar bowling in the death overs proved decisive. With the top spot in the points table still secure (16 points from eight matches), Rajasthan will look to bounce back in their next outing.
SunRisers, on the other hand, climbed to the fourth spot in the standings with 12 points from 10 matches, pushing Chennai Super Kings down to fifth.
