3 takeaways from Sunrisers Hyderabad’s brilliant win over Kolkata Knight Riders
IPL
Sunrisers Hyderabad produced one of the comebacks of the season yet again as Rashid Khan dismantled Robin Uthappa, Chris Lynn, and Andre Russell to take his side to IPL final. However, a lot could be learnt from the 2016 champions' terrific win and KKR’s more than successful season.
Prasidh Krishna- From hero to zero
In the 21st century, heroes and villains only exist in sports, and the athletes keep swapping those positions every other day. KKR’s Prasidh Krishna experienced a similar instance on Friday when Rashid Khan hit the pacer for a whopping 24 runs in the last over. To be precise, almost everything looked perfect for the hosts and Krishna until the 19th over. SRH were reduced to 150/7 while last match’s hero, Krishna had given 32 runs off three overs. But, such is the beauty of T20, which gives you the stick when you least expect it. In the last match, Krishna was beating the likes of Krishnappa Gowtham and Stuart Binny at will and this match he was whacked by an overseas player, who can hardly be considered an all-rounder. It would, however, be wrong to assume that the youngster had got it wrong at the death over; it was just that a shrewd Khan reading all the six balls. In the end, those runs came back to haunt KKR after their apocalyptic middle-order collapse.
The relentless Rashid Khan
Arguably, the greatest spinner in the shortest format of the game, Rashid did it once again for his side pulling them out from the throes of defeat. Like his counterpart Kuldeep Yadav today, the 19-year-old was fearless in his approach even when SRH were looking at a definite defeat, and fortune favored the strong heart. Though it started with a futile attempt by Robin Uthappa to reverse sweep the Afghanistan bowler, which was totally unexpected by an experienced player like him, the remaining two would be totally his credit. Chris Lynn and Andre Russell were easily the biggest wickets for KKR and taking them out of the game meant the game was almost won at that moment. MS Dhoni, who is recently struggling against his spin, will be wary of this man on the biggest stage of the tournament. He had ended the last game by conceding just 11 runs and claiming two wickets. If it happens yet again, there won’t be another Faf du Plessis to take them out of it.
KKR have their job cut out for next season
Despite the excruciating defeat at the second eliminator of the tournament, one would have to stand up and take notice of KKR’s apparent mindless strategy. After the franchise ended the mega-auction with 19 players on their roster, almost every critic and expert had written them off the contention. However, the franchise has shown tremendous efficacy with a small squad especially with the U-19 youngsters proving their mettle. In the end, the experience is too valuable an element that talent cannot overcome and Dinesh Karthik would know it very, very well. The captain, however, has had a great first season and the management has been more than convinced of their gamble at the start of the season. Over the small squad, KKR even had to go through wear and tear as the likes of Mitchell Starc got injured before the season started and his replacement, Tom Curran, returning for English domestic cricket midseason. A lot will be needed to be taken into account for the KKR management, but they are surely fielding the mercurial combination of talent and experience again next season.
