NEW DELHI: The Sunrisers Hyderabad dugout – led by captain Ishan Kishan, along with match-winners Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain – erupted in celebration, as did the team staff and owner Kavya Maran, after a commanding win over Rajasthan Royals on Monday. Hinge claimed four wickets after Kishan’s blistering 91, as Sunrisers Hyderabad crushed Rajasthan Royals by 57 runs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.After SRH sealed the emphatic victory, a fan approached Kavya Maran and offered her flowers in celebration. She smiled, accepted the gesture, and said “thank you”.Debutant pacers Hinge and Hussain picked four wickets each as Sunrisers Hyderabad ended table-toppers Rajasthan Royals’ winning streak in emphatic fashion.On a surface where the odd ball held up, Kishan struck eight fours and six sixes in a blistering 44-ball 91 to power SRH to 216/6. Anything full and wide was punished through the off side with ease, while short balls were dispatched with authority, helping the skipper bring up his 19th IPL fifty.However, that effort was overshadowed by a sensational spell from Hinge. The Nagpur pacer, who was initially in line to debut earlier but missed out, scripted a fairytale as he became the first bowler in IPL history to take three wickets in the opening over. He dismantled RR’s formidable top order, including removing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for a duck, to finish with 4/34.
Hussain, hailing from Gopalganj in Bihar, provided the finishing touch with an impressive 4/24 as Rajasthan Royals were bowled out for 159 in 19 overs.SRH’s bold move to field two debutants in place of experienced campaigners proved to be a masterstroke. The win was their second in five matches and lifted them to fourth place in the points table.Hinge made an immediate impact, dismissing Sooryavanshi off the very first ball of his spell — something even top pacers hadn’t managed this season. Attempting a pull, Sooryavanshi edged the ball to wicketkeeper Salil Arora, sparking celebrations.The spell only got better as Hinge had Dhruv Jurel chop onto his stumps on the very next delivery, before Lhuan-dre Pretorius flicked straight to long leg. From the other end, Hussain struck early too, dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal with a well-directed short ball.The collapse deepened when Hinge removed RR skipper Riyan Parag with a fine outswinger, reducing the inaugural champions to five wickets down within three overs.With the match slipping away, Ravindra Jadeja and Donovan Ferreira stitched together a crucial partnership to steady the innings and avoid a major dent to the net run rate. Their stand ensured RR crossed 49, preventing the lowest total in IPL history.The duo added 118 runs for the sixth wicket — RR’s highest for that position — with Ferreira reaching his maiden IPL fifty in just 31 balls. But the resistance ended when Hussain bowled Ferreira with a slower delivery, while Jadeja edged behind off Eshan Malinga.Hussain then struck twice more, dismissing Jofra Archer and Ravi Bishnoi, while Malinga accounted for Tushar Deshpande to seal a thumping win for SRH.Earlier, Archer had stunned the Uppal crowd by dismissing Abhishek Sharma off the very first ball, marking his fourth first-ball wicket in IPL history.But Kishan soon took control, counterattacking with authority. He brought up his fifty in just 30 balls and powered SRH past 100 with a six off Bishnoi. Alongside Heinrich Klaasen, he built a rapid partnership, with the duo adding 50 runs in just 26 deliveries.Kishan looked set for a century before falling for 91, miscuing a pull shot. Klaasen contributed 40 before departing, while Nitish Kumar Reddy added a quickfire 28 with a flurry of boundaries.A late flourish from Arora ensured SRH crossed the 200-mark, setting the stage for Hinge and Hussain to complete a memorable victory.
