In a thrilling encounter, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) defeated Rajasthan Royals (RR) by four wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match held on Saturday. Abdul Samad was the hero for SRH as he hit a six off the last ball of the match to seal the victory for his team.
Rajasthan Royals batted first and posted a competitive total of 180 for 5 in their allotted 20 overs. Skipper Sanju Samson was the top scorer for RR with 67 runs, while David Miller contributed with a quickfire 41 off 21 balls. For SRH, Rashid Khan was the pick of the bowlers, taking two wickets for 32 runs.
In response, SRH got off to a shaky start, losing two early wickets. However, Manish Pandey and Abdul Samad steadied the innings with a partnership of 82 runs. Pandey scored a well-constructed 56 off 48 balls, while Samad played a blistering knock of 51 off just 24 balls.
With 18 runs required off the last over, Sandeep Sharma, the SRH bowler, came in to bat. On the fourth ball of the over, he hit a boundary to bring down the equation to 8 runs off 2 balls. On the penultimate delivery, Sandeep was caught at deep mid-wicket, but it was ruled a no-ball for overstepping the crease. This gave SRH a free hit, which Samad duly dispatched for a six to win the match for his team.
The match turned in SRH’s favor due to Sandeep Sharma’s no-ball, which cost RR the game. However, it was an excellent performance by Samad, who held his nerve to hit a six off the last ball and take his team over the line.
In conclusion, Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Rajasthan Royals in a thrilling IPL 2023 match held on Saturday. Sandeep Sharma’s no-ball cost RR the game as Abdul Samad hit a six off the last ball to win it for SRH.