[Watch] SRH spinner Shahbaz Ahmed dismisses Riyan Parag and Ravichandran Ashwin in an over to derail RR's chase in IPL 2024 Qualifier 2
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed derailed Rajasthan Royals' (RR) chase in the second qualifier of IPL 2024. He took twin wickets of Riyan Parag and Ravichandran Ashwin in a single over on Friday, May 24, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
The match was in balance at that juncture, with RR at 79/3 after 11 overs. As the required rate was going up, Riyan Parag tried to take on Shahbaz Ahmed and attempted a lofted shot but could only get a thick edge.
The ball went high into the air into the deep midwicket region, where Abhishek Sharma completed the catch comfortably. After bowling two dot balls, Shahbaz then castled out Ashwin to reduce RR to 79/5 and put SRH ahead in the contest.
You can watch the dismissals in the video below:
Shahbaz Ahmed ended up with three wickets to help SRH beat RR comfortably and reach IPL 2024 finals
SRH batted first in the contest and scored a decent total of 175/5 on a two-paced surface. It came the courtesy of vital contributions from Heinrich Klaasen (50) and Rahul Tripathi (37). Shahbaz Ahmed came in as an impact substitute after the Sunrisers lost the sixth wicket and played a useful knock of 18 (18) to support Klaasen.
Shahbaz's inclusion midway through the match turned out to be a masterstroke in the second innings. He spun a web around the RR batters in the chase with a sensational match-winning spell of 4-0-23-3. Abhishek Sharma complemented him well with a spell of 4-0-24-2. As a result, Rajasthan Royals could only reach 139/7 and lost the match by 36 runs.
At the post-match presentation, Shahbaz Ahmed received the Player of the Match award. Reflecting on his performance, he said:
"The captain and coach had a chat with me, they said we'll put you to use as per the situation. This is my role, to play down the order, and so, they used me down the order. To be honest, I had a feeling there was something on this wicket when I was batting, the ball was stopping a bit the way Avesh Khan and Sandeep Sharma were bowling towards the latter stages of the first innings."
He continued:
"Feeling really proud to receive the player of the match award in such a big game. Enjoyed the journey thus far, the atnosphere around the team has been relaxing, there hasn't been much pressure. I'll relax tonight and celebrate only once we win the final."
SRH will face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the final of IPL 2024 on Sunday (May 26) at the same venue.