IPL: Sunrisers Hyderabad and the art of defending totals

The Sunrisers Hyderabad defended a total yet again in the Indian Premier League when it beat the Delhi Capitals by 15 runs in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

Published : Sep 30, 2020 06:24 IST

Sunrisers Hyderabad had defended just 118 against the Mumbai Indians in the 2018 Indian Premier League (File Photo).
Sunrisers Hyderabad had defended just 118 against the Mumbai Indians in the 2018 Indian Premier League (File Photo).
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Sunrisers Hyderabad had defended just 118 against the Mumbai Indians in the 2018 Indian Premier League (File Photo).

During the age when most teams prefer to chase in the T20 format, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) has always enjoyed defending totals.

The team overcame Delhi Capitals (DC) by 15 runs at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday to re-establish its status as the best defending side in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

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Here are five of SRH's best performances when bowling second.

1) SRH vs MI in Mumbai - April 24, 2018

Hyderabad was without David Warner in the 2018 season, and it was sent into bat first by the Mumbai Indians (MI) in match 23. The team was all-out for a paltry 118, with both captain Kane Williamson and Yusuf Pathan top-scoring with 29.

In reply, MI was shot out for 87 with seven balls to spare after being 61/3 from 11.4 overs at one stage. SRH won by 31 runs, and Siddarth Kaul had claimed three wickets in the fixture, while Rashid Khan and Basil Thampi picked up two each in extremely economical spells.

2) SRH vs PWI in Pune - April 17, 2013

This was one of first few games in IPL history which showcased SRH's defending abilities. Biplab Samantray's 37 and Amit Mishra's 30 helped the Sunrisers move from 44/6 to 119/8 in its alloted 20 overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, with 3/18, was PWI's best bowler.

In the second innings, Pune Warriors India (PWI) was all set to win the match at 101/4 in 16.5 overs, needing just 19 runs off 19 balls. However, Mishra's four-wicket 19th over and inspiring spells from Dale Steyn and Thisara Perera powered Hyderabad to an unlikely 11-run victory.

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3) SRH vs RPSG in Visakhapatnam - May 10, 2016

Adam Zampa's 6/19, the second best bowling figures in IPL history back then, went in vain as Hyderabad defended yet another low total during its title-winning 2016 season. After being at 96/2 at one stage, SRH could only make 137/8 as RPSG's Zampa claimed wickets three to eight.

In reply, the Rising Pune Supergiants (RPSG) could only make 133/8, thereby losing by four runs. Despite useful contributions from George Bailey (34), MS Dhoni (30) and Ravichandran Ashwin (29), Ashish Nehra (3/29) and co. held their nerves to give Hyderabad a famous win.

4) SRH vs RCB in Hyderabad - May 7, 2018

Williamson's 56 and Shakib Al Hasan's 35 helped SRH to end its innings with 146 in 20 overs, after suffering a slump early on. Tim Southee and Mohammed Siraj claimed six wickets between them, while RCB skipper Virat Kohli had inflicted two run-outs.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) could only manage 141/6 in the second innings, falling short by five runs. Mandeep Singh and Colin de Grandhomme's sixth-wicket partnership of 57 runs was trumped by some economical spells and clever execution from the Sunrisers bowlers.

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5) SRH vs KXIP in Hyderabad - April 17, 2017

Manan Vohra's brilliant 50-ball 95 almost won the match for Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), but Bhuvneshwar had the last laugh as his five-wicket haul guided SRH to a last-over victory. Vohra's innings went down as one of the greatest batting performance in IPL history, despite his team's loss.

Warner's unbeaten 70 and Naman Ojha's quickfire 34 had propelled the Hyderabad outfit to 159/6 from its alloted 20 overs. KXIP was never in the run-chase, with Vohra playing a lone hand. At the end of the day, Kaul dismissed Ishant Sharma to complete another five-run win for Sunrisers.

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