IPL: Sunrisers Hyderabad play their way into play-offs

Sunrisers Hyderabad dashed the hopes of Royal Challengers Bangalore and took Hyderabad into the play-offs of the Indian Premier League in their first season with a five wicket win over Kolkata. Hyderabad will face Rajasthan Royals in the Qualifier play-off match on Wednesday.

Pictured here with the Deccan Chargers last year in the Indian Premier League, Dale Steyn helped bowl the Sunrisers Hyderabad into the play-offs this season.

KOLKATA 130-7 (20ov)

HYDERABAD (132-5 (20ov)

Toss Kolkata, chose to bat

Kolkata Pathan 49, Kallis 24; Steyn 2-24, Rajan 1-22

Hyderabad Patel 47, Dhawan 42; Abdulla 3-29, Shami 1-32

Man of the match Parthiv Patel (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Hyderabad // A super show with the ball and a competent batting effort by Sunrisers Hyderabad against Kolkata Knight Riders dashed the hopes of Royal Challengers Bangalore and took Hyderabad into the Indian Premier League play-offs.

A win by five wickets after restricting Kolkata to 130 for 7 was enough for Hyderabad.

The best fast bowler in the world, three medium pacers with a variety of slower deliveries between them, and two legspinners, is what Hyderabad had at their disposal. And that bowling attack combined to defy Gautam Gambhir's pre-match promise of "batting freely" by keeping Kolkata quiet for the best part of their 20 overs.

Between Dale Steyn's bouncers, Anand Rajan's miserly spell of 1 for 22, and the big turn Amit Mishra and Karan Sharma got, there wasn't much Kolkata could do.

Yusuf Pathan triggered the spiciest bit of action in the innings when he slammed Steyn for a six over midwicket and stopped to applaud his own stroke. Steyn played his part in the game by joining in the applause. Soon after, it looked like there would be an altercation between the two as Pathan reached the bowler's end, but the episode ended with smiles. And Pathan rounded things off with a six off the last ball of the innings, bowled by Rajan. On a pitch where 135 has been the average first-innings score through the course of the tournament, 130 might not have been a bad total, but with Parthiv Patel and Shikhar Dhawan starting brilliantly, it appeared too few.

Kolkata did not have the bowling to make a dent, it seemed. With Dhawan (42 in 35 balls) helping Kolkata's cause when he missed an attempted reverse sweep to be caught plumb in front off Iqbal Abdullah, triggering a collapse. Hyderabad slipped from 89 from no loss to 112 for 5, Abdullah picking up the wickets of Patel (47 in 37 balls) and Hanuma Vihari on either side of Cameron White running himself out and Mohammad Shami yorking Thisara Perera.

PLAY-OFF FIXTURES

Tuesday, Qualifier 1

Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai Indians, 6.30pm, at Delhi

Wednesday, Eliminator game

Rajasthan Royals v Sunrisers Hyderabad, 6.30pm, Delhi

Friday, Qualifier 2

Winner of Eliminator v loser of Qualifier 1, 6.30pm, Kolkata

Sunday, Championship

Winner of Qualifier 1 v winner of Qualifier 2, 6.30pm, Kolkata

Shamya Dasgupta is a senior editor at Wisden India

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