[Watch] Andre Russell's brilliant effort ends Rahul Tripathi's stay after an error in judgment with Abdul Samad in KKR vs SRH Qualifier 1
SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) batter Rahul Tripathi's excellent knock came to an end after a misjudgment with Abdul Samad in the Qualifier 1 of IPL 2024 against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday. The dismissal reduced the SunRisers to 121/6 in 13.2 overs.
Opting to bat first, SRH were rocked early by Mitchell Starc, with both openers back in the hut within inside the second over. Tripathi shared a crucial partnership with Heinrich Klaasen to bail the team out of danger. Although the latter got out after a 21-ball 32, Tripathi carried the team single-handedly on his shoulders.
He crossed his half-century and looked destined for a big knock. However, his stay in the middle was cut short by a misjudgment. Abdul Samad, who looked good for his 16, cut one to the left of the backward point fielder and set off for a single. Tripathi, on the other hand, was left ball-watching.
Andre Russell produced a superb effort, diving to his left to stop the ball. He was quick to release the ball to wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who just had to remove the bails, with Rahul Tripathi stranded in the middle of the pitch.
The batter looked absolutely dejected on his way back to the dugout and was also spotted sitting on the stairs of the dressing room with his head down in despair. Tripathi smashed seven boundaries and one six during his 35-ball 55-run knock.
Watch the clip here:
The downfall continued for SRH as they were reduced to 126/9 in the 16th over. Mitchell Starc was the pick of the bowlers, scalping three wickets in his opening spell. The onus now lies on skipper Pat Cummins with two overs still to play.
How has Rahul Tripathi fared in IPL 2024?
With a star-studded batting unit at SRH's disposal, opportunities have been hard to come by for Rahul Tripathi in this year's cash-rich league. The former KKR batter has played only four matches this season, aggregating 104 runs at an average of 34.67 and a strike rate of over 135.