Spinners reigned supreme in Qualifier 2, orchestrating Rajasthan Royals' exit from the Indian Premier League as Sunrisers Hyderabad secured a 36-run victory at the Chepauk on Friday. SRH skipper Pat Cummins' strategic decision to deploy spinners as the frontline attack against RR's power hitters paid off handsomely.
The free-scoring Sunrisers will now face Kolkata Knight Riders in the final, marking their first appearance since 2018. Earlier in the week, the Riders had outperformed Hyderabad in all aspects of the game in Qualifier 1.
Despite missing key players, the Royals embarked on a challenging chase of 176 against a resilient Sunrisers bowling unit. Rajasthan began aggressively in their quest for a final spot against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday. Yashasvi Jaiswal signaled their intent by smashing a six off the final ball of the first over. However, Cummins responded with a tight five-run over, and boundaries became scarce, prompting Tom Kohler-Cadmore to take a risky approach.
In the fourth over, Kohler-Cadmore (10) attempted to hit Cummins out of the park but mistimed his shot, resulting in a catch by Rahul Tripathi. Jaiswal tried to salvage the powerplay with a flurry of boundaries in the final over, scoring 19 runs off Bhuvneshwar Kumar to bring the Royals to 51/1.
After the powerplay, Cummins introduced spinners into the attack, decisively shifting the game in Hyderabad's favor. Impact substitute Shahbaz Ahmed claimed the crucial wicket of Jaiswal (42) in his first over. Abhishek Sharma followed up by deceiving Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson, reducing RR to 70/3 in 9 overs.
By the 12th over, Rajasthan's downfall was evident. Shahbaz struck again, taking two wickets that deepened the Royals' troubles. Riyan Parag's attempt at innovation ended in failure as he top-edged a scoop shot to Abhishek. Two balls later, Ravichandran Ashwin edged to Klaasen, solidifying Sunrisers' control.
Shimron Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel attempted a rescue, but the relentless spinners gave them no respite. Hetmyer's dismissal by Abhishek rekindled Sunrisers' hopes of a final appearance. Jurel fought valiantly, but the required run rate soared beyond Rajasthan's reach. Ultimately, the Royals fell short by 36 runs.
Earlier, Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson won the toss and chose to bowl. Abhishek fell early, and Travis Head attempted a counter-attack alongside Rahul Tripathi. Trent Boult turned the tide in the fifth over by taking two wickets, leaving SRH at 68/3 at the end of the powerplay.
Heinrich Klaasen assumed the responsibility of scoring and helped SRH reach 100 in 10.2 overs. RR made a comeback in the 14th over with Avesh Khan picking up two wickets. Klaasen, who scored 50 off 34 balls including four sixes, was eventually bowled by Sandeep Sharma in the 19th over. His efforts propelled SRH to a defendable total of 175/9, setting the stage for their bowlers to secure the win.
