What happened the last time SRH played RR in a playoff match in the IPL?
The SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and the Rajasthan Royals (RR) are all set to face off in the high-intense Qualifier 2 match of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). It is a must-win match for both sides, as the winner will book a date with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the grand finale.
SRH faced a defeat at the hands of KKR in Qualifier 1, which handed them a second chance to keep their hopes of playing the final alive. RR, on the other hand, bagged a memorable victory against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Eliminator and moved a step further in the race by booking a place in the Qualifier 2.
SRH and RR have faced each other in IPL playoffs just once in the 2013 edition of the tournament. The two sides faced off in the Eliminator game, where Rajasthan clinched a four-wicket win in the final over to make their way to their second qualifier game against Mumbai Indians (MI).
How did the RR vs SRH playoff game of IPL 2013 pan out?
It all started with SRH winning the toss and electing to bat first. RR bowler Vikramjeet Malik got his side the first breakthrough as he struck in the very first over to dismiss SRH’s opening batter, Parthiv Patel. He came back to bowl the third over and picked a second wicket by dismissing Hanuma Vihari.
A key partnership between Shikhar Dhawan and skipper Cameron White for the third wicket got the team’s scorecard ticking. Even after staying on the field for a good amount of time, the two were slow in scoring runs. Decent contributions from the middle-order batters helped SRH cross the 100-run mark and eventually finish with a score of 132/7.
Coming to the chase, RR’s start too was shaky as captain and opening batter Rahul Dravid was dismissed cheaply for a 10-ball 12. Shane Watson got the game going as he joined hands with Ajinkya Rahane to take the game forward.
Soon after the powerplay, RR faced a mini collapse courtesy of a brilliant bowling display by the opposition bowlers. It was then the match-winning knock by Brad Hodge that took RR over the line as the inaugural champions clinched a win with four balls to spare.
With 10 runs needed off the final over, Hodge smashed back-to-back sixes to finish off the game in style. With the two sixes, Hodge got to his half-century and remained unbeaten on 54*(29).