An dramatic last over of the SRH-PBKS match at Mallanpur on April 9 saw back-to-back catches lost and the ball parried over the fence for a maximum.
With PBKS requiring an improbable 29 off six to win, Ashutosh Sharma pushed Jaydev Unadkat’s opening delivery to deep midwicket. However, the game’s hero, Nitish Kumar Reddy, palmed the ball over the fence despite perfectly timing his leap.
A number more wides followed, bringing the equation down to 21 required from five, when a similar drop rubbed salt into Unadkat’s wounds. Ashutosh hit a slot delivery straight to long-off, where Abdul Samad allowed the ball to break through his gloves for another six.
Find the two dropped catches at the beginning of the following video:
The pair of drops were followed by a third missed opportunity in the over, when Rahul Tripathi dropped an easy chance at deep mid-wicket with 10 required off two. However, none of them proved costly as SRH won a thriller by two runs despite a 26-run final over.
Nonetheless, Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma made a spirited effort with a partnership comparable to their robbery against GT in PBKS’ previous outing. The pair contributed an undefeated 66 from 27 deliveries to help PBKS climb out of a hole and almost seal an incredible victory.
PBKS continue their inconsistent run through IPL 2024
Much of PBKS’ difficulties in recent seasons have been due to uneven play and an inability to pull together consecutive wins.
Punjab has done the same so far this season, winning two of five games to finish sixth on the points standings.
Following an amazing win against DC in the season opening, PBKS lost consecutive defeats to RCB and LSG. However, in the following game against GT, they snatched victory from the jaws of loss after starting in a similar situation as SRH.
SRH has rebounded from a 1-2 start with two straight victories over CSK and PBKS.
Despite the absence of the foreign players, Nitish Kumar Reddy rescued the team’s blushes by scoring 64 off 37 deliveries and taking one wicket.
SRH will attempt to make it three in a row against RCB on Monday, April 15. Meanwhile, PBKS will want to break even after six games when they face RR on Saturday, April 13.
