[Watch] Three dropped catches, 26 runs! Relive Jaydev Unadkat's dramatic last over in PBKS vs SRH IPL 2024 matchÂ
When SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) pacer Jaydev Unadkat was given the ball for the last over of the IPL 2024 match against Punjab Kings (PBKS), skipper Pat Cummins would have been pretty confident of the result going in his side's favor. They won eventually, but only by two runs.
SRH beat PBKS in a thrilling encounter at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, Chandigarh on Tuesday, April 9. Sent into bat by Punjab, Hyderabad put up 182-8. In response, PBKS were 154-6 after 19 overs.
They needed 29 off the last over bowled by Unadkat but ended up getting 26 in what was a dramatic finish, giving Cummins and Co. a real scare.
The first ball of the 20th over was hammered by Ashutosh Sharma (33* off 15) towards deep midwicket. Nitish Kumar Reddy could have taken the catch. Instead, he palmed the ball over the boundary for a maximum.
Here's the video of the last over:
The next two deliveries were wides. With 21 needed off five, Ashutosh slammed one towards long-off. This time, Abdul Samad mistimed the catch and parried the ball over the ropes for the second six of the over. The next two deliveries produced two runs each, after which Unadkat bowled another wide.
With 10 needed off two, Rahul Tripathi dropped a sitter offered by Ashutosh at deep midwicket. However, only one run came off the delivery, which meant that Punjab Kings needed nine to win off the last ball. Shashank Singh (46* off 25) lofted the slot ball on off over long-off for a maximum, but SRH survived the onslaught to sneak home by two runs.
Earlier, chasing a target of 183, Punjab Kings got off to a poor start, losing half their side for 91. Jonny Bairstow was bowled for a duck by Cummins, while skipper Shikhar Dhawan (14) and Prabhsimran Singh (4) also fell cheaply.
Sam Curran (29 off 22) and Sikandar Raza (28 off 22) played cameos, but it was only when Shashank and Ashutosh joined forces that SRH were really worried.
Nitish Reddy's brilliant knock lifts SRH after early loss of wickets
Sent into bat by Punjab Kings, SunRisers Hyderabad lost four wickets for 64, with Travis Head (21 off 15), Abhishek Sharma (16 off 11), Aiden Markram (0) and Rahul Tripathi (11 off 14) falling cheaply. Heinrich Klaasen perished for 9 to leave Hyderabad in further trouble.
Nitish Reddy (64 off 37), though, slammed four fours and five sixes in his blazing half-century, while Samad contributed 25 off 12. Their contributions took SRH past 180, which proved to be just about enough in the end.