IPL 2018, RR vs SRH: Kane Williamson's dropped catch by Rahul Tripathi is the SK Turning Point of the match
Continuing the trend of close finishes in this season of the IPL, the match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals went into the final over with the Royals needing 21 runs off 6 balls. But the Sunrisers held their nerve and again with the help of their supreme bowling attack, managed to defend a relatively average total.
Needing 152 to win, Royals failed to reach the target by 11 runs. Their captain Ajinkya Rahane was at the crease from the start to the end but despite his gritty knock of 65, he could not guide his side home on their own turf. Siddharth Kaul was the pick of the bowlers for the winning side, claiming 2/23 in his stipulated four overs.
Earlier in the day, Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to bat first in hot conditions in Jaipur. Alex Hales was drafted into the side in place of Mohammad Nabi and the Englishman opened the innings for the Sunrisers alongside Shikhar Dhawan.
Gabbar could not hold on for long, which meant that Kane Williamson entered the field in the third over itself. The Kiwi has been SRH's best batter this IPL and has plundered runs aplenty. If the Royals wanted to restrict Hyderabad to a meagre total, dismissing Williamson early was the prerequisite.
Rajasthan Royals were presented with a golden opportunity in the fifth over when Williamson was on just 11 from run a ball. Joffra Archer was in his first over of the day and was running down with intent.
In the third ball of the over, Archer bowled one back of the length delivery to the SRH captain. It sprung on Williamson after pitching as the Kiwi could offer only a half-hearted shot to it. He edged it and the ball was steering towards the slip cauldron where Rahul Tripathi was perfectly positioned.
But as luck would have it, Tripathi spilt one, which gave Williamson another life. Mind you, this was Tripathi's second dropped catch of the season. Earlier, he had dropped a sitter against Shane Watson who then went on to score a memorable ton. Talk of catches winning matches!
Williamson did not manage that feat but still managed to score an all-important knock of 63 from 43 deliveries that included 7 fours and 2 sixes. The captain formed a brilliant 92 run partnership with Hales for the second wicket which helped SRH mount a total of 151.
Sunrisers rely heavily on their captain, which was proved by the middle order collapse that ensued after his dismissal. Till Williamson was at the crease, it looked all plain sailing for Hyderabad. They were 107 for 1 after 13 overs. Soon after, Williamson was dismissed and in the last seven overs, SRH could manage just 44 runs for the loss of 6 wickets.
Williamson's wicket at an early stage could have proved to be a game changer for the Royals. But Tripathi let the Kiwi batter off the hook, which ultimately proved to be the turning point of the match as it was the SRH captain that guided his side to a respectable total that they could defend.