In a thrilling encounter, Sunrisers Hyderabad snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in Match 52 of the TATA IPL 2023 against Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. The match saw high-octane action with the teams racking up huge scores. RR batted first and put up an imposing total of 214/2, with Jos Buttler playing a T20 masterclass with a scintillating 95 off 59 balls and Sanju Samson playing an important supporting role with 66 off 38 balls.
In response, SRH started strong and were well on their way to victory, thanks to a solid opening partnership between Anmolpreet Singh and Abhishek Sharma. However, some tight bowling from RR and the loss of some key wickets left the match hanging in the balance.
With 17 needed off the last over, the tension was palpable, and the fans were on the edge of their seats. Sandeep Sharma, the bowler entrusted with defending the target, almost got the breakthrough on the first ball as Abdul Samad sliced one to short third man where Obed McCoy dropped it and conceded two. Samad then smashed a six next ball, over long on where Joe Root nearly pulled off a fantastic effort. With 9 needed off 4, Sandeep finally nailed his yorker as Samad jammed it to long off and scampered through for a couple. The next one brought just a single as Samad mistimed his loft to long off.
With six needed off two, Jansen flicked a low full toss straight to mid-wicket for just a single. The drama wasn't over yet. With five needed off the last ball, Sandeep thought that he had Samad caught at long off, off the last ball and won the match but the buzzer went off at the ground for a no ball and replays showed he had overstepped. No ball. It was chaotic. With 4 needed off the last ball, Samad smashed it straight down the ground for a flat six to win a thriller for SRH. It was SRH's highest successful run chase in IPL.
Abdul Samad was the hero of the match, providing a blockbuster finish with a last-ball six in a drama-filled last over from Sandeep Sharma. His knock of 17* off just 7 balls, including two massive sixes, powered SRH past the finish line and kept their hopes alive in the IPL 2023. Abhishek Sharma (55 off 34) and Rahul Tripathi (47 off 29) had earlier laid the platform for SRH with impactful knocks, while Glenn Phillips (25 off 7) played a crucial cameo under pressure. Yuzvendra Chahal was the pick of the bowlers for RR, finishing with fantastic figures of 4-0-29-4.
In conclusion, the match was a rollercoaster ride, with both teams putting up strong performances. However, in the end, it was SRH who emerged victorious in a nail-biting finish, thanks to some excellent batting from Abdul Samad.