Jaydev Unadkat got the better of KL Rahul for the second time in IPL history on Tuesday, and this time, the left-arm seamer’s change of angle proved to be the key as Sunrisers Hyderabad landed an early punch in a rain-affected clash.
With Delhi reeling at 6 for 2, Rahul walked in to bat at No. 4, hoping to steady the ship. But his stay lasted just 14 balls. In the 8th over, Unadkat went around the wicket, got one to angle in, and had Rahul nick it behind.
“I’ve bowled to KL before, and I feel I have a little better chance bowling round the wicket. I won’t say it’s a weakness for Rahul. As a bowler, you’ve got to have a weapon, and one of those is changing the angle," Unadkat said after the match.
It was a well-executed plan, and it worked to perfection on a two-paced surface in Hyderabad. Unadkat finished with impressive figures of 1/13 from his four overs, and also opened up about the overall bowling strategy.
“The pitch was a little sticky early on, so hitting the deck and mixing up the pace was the plan. Wickets helped us control the game. That’s the strength of a lot of our bowlers — we kept it simple and stuck to the plans.”
“Started well, wickets helped us control the game”
Alongside skipper Pat Cummins, , Unadkat helped SRH keep Delhi to just 133/7. Apart from the duo, Harshal Patel and Eshan Malinga also grabbed a wicket each. On the other hand, Delhi recovered from 29/5, thanks to Tristan Stubbs and Ashutosh Sharma. While Stubbs remained unbeaten at 36-ball 41, Ashutosh Sharma departed for 26-ball 41. They helped DC recover from nowhere to post a decent total.
It looked like Hyderabad were well on course to chase it down. But rain had the final say, washing out the contest and dealing a big blow to SRH’s playoff hopes.
While Delhi Capitals escaped with a point and stayed alive in the race, the washout means Sunrisers Hyderabad, last year’s finalists, are now out of the top-four fight.
