SRH Chase Down 228 with Ease as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s Century Goes in Vain
What a high-scoring day in the IPL! Matches in both Delhi and Jaipur were full of runs and excitement. SRH made the chase look very easy, reaching the target without any trouble. They get over the line by 5 wickets and with 9 balls to spare, a commanding finish in the end. This also marks their first away win of the season.
Earlier in the day, SRH won the toss and opted to bowl first. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi lit up Jaipur with a sensational start, taking on Praful Hinge and smashing four sixes in the very first over. He single-handedly gave Rajasthan Royals a flying start, while Yashasvi Jaiswal fell cheaply at the other end as the 40-run opening stand was broken in just the 3rd over by Eshan Malinga.
Dhruv Jurel then joined Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and the pair built a superb partnership in the middle. Vaibhav looked unstoppable, as if he was batting on a completely different surface, striking boundaries at will and dominating the bowlers. The 112-run stand for the second wicket set a strong platform for the Royals, who had their sights on a total around 240.
SRH cruise to easy win in a high-scoring thriller
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi brought up a stunning century off just 36 balls, his second in the IPL, but fell on the very next delivery for a blistering 103 off 37 balls. Jurel played a steady hand at the other end, scoring a well-made 51 off 35 balls. Donovan Ferreira chipped in with a quickfire 33 off 16 balls down the order to provide the late flourish. However, SRH pulled things back nicely in the death overs with disciplined bowling, restricting RR to 228/6 in their 20 overs, a total that looked slightly below par by about 10-15 runs on this surface.
In reply, Jofra Archer came out breathing fire with the new ball. He was unlucky not to get a wicket on the very first ball as Dhruv Jurel dropped Travis Head, but the wicketkeeper made amends soon after with a catch behind to dismiss Head for 6 in the opening over. Archer could have had another as Abhishek Sharma was dropped by Hetmyer in the deep after losing the ball in the lights.
Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan then went on the attack, taking SRH to 89/1 at the end of the powerplay. The momentum stayed with SRH as they reached 139/2 at the halfway stage, although Abhishek fell on the final ball of the 10th over for a brisk 57 off 29 balls. Ishan Kishan continued his aggressive approach, striking the ball cleanly and keeping the chase well on track. Riyan Parag held back his experienced spinners, Ravi Bishnoi and Ravindra Jadeja, until the 11th over, which raised a few eyebrows. Archer returned to break the stand, dismissing Kishan for a blazing 74 off 31 balls.
Despite a couple of wickets, SRH never lost control of the chase. Heinrich Klaasen (29) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (36) stitched together a crucial 53-run partnership for the fourth wicket, effectively sealing the game. The Men in Orange made the chase look easy, getting over the line comfortably with 5 wickets in hand and 9 balls to spare.