Is today the day for 300? This inquiry has been following Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) wherever they go, and for good reason. Over their last 16 innings, before Thursday, they had recorded four out of the top five highest scores in IPL history. They have come close to reaching the coveted 300 mark once every four innings.
According to ESPNcricinfo’s preview headline, Thursday seemed like the perfect day for SRH’s match against LSG. Playing at their home ground in Hyderabad, where they had impressive scores of 277 and 286 in their previous matches, SRH was up against a depleted LSG attack. The pace bowling department for this game consisted of an unsold bowler from the auction, a newcomer to the IPL and a returning player from injury.
Rishabh Pant, the captain of LSG, won the toss and chose to field first against SRH. Without a target set in place, there seemed to be no restrictions on their pursuit of scoring 300 runs.
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Ultimately, SRH fell short of their desired score, failing to reach 200 runs. However, this was not due to unfavorable bowling conditions. According to captain Pat Cummins, the pace bowlers were able to get some grip by using cutters, but overall it was a great pitch for batting. As Cummins stated after the match, “The previous match had the best wicket in the world and today’s was probably the second-best.”
What led to the SRH batsmen, including Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Heinrich Klaasen, struggling to reach a total of 190 for 9?
There were a lot of events that took place, but one in particular stood out. The bowling performance was quite remarkable and not only helped LSG secure their first win of the season, but also presented a potential strategy for other teams to use against SRH and similar aggressive IPL teams.
LSG came prepared, and their strategy was evident from the first over. Shardul Thakur deliberately bowled full deliveries to target Head, not just in the hopes of swinging the ball but with the intention of hitting either the blockhole or wide blockhole. This plan was clearly reflected in their fielding placement, with deep point as one of the two boundary fielders. While Thakur’s attempts at yorkers were not entirely successful, resulting in two full tosses, his determination was unmistakable. According to ESPNcricinfo’s records, this marked only the 11th instance in IPL history where a bowler had bowled two or more full tosses in an opening over.
It’s not uncommon for bowlers to try a yorker during the powerplay, especially when the ball is swinging, or in the middle overs. However, it is seldom used continuously during these phases. Only towards the end does this tend to occur consistently. Yet on Thursday, LSG seemed to view the entire innings as an extended opportunity for death bowling.
Prince Yadav displayed his skills, taking a wicket with his third delivery by bowling Head with a precise full delivery aimed at the base of the stumps. Throughout his four overs, which were spread out in the eighth, tenth, 12th and 14th of SRH’s innings, his focus remained on executing stump-to-stump yorkers and wide yorkers. He proved to be natural at delivering these yorkers at an impressive speed, usually around high 130s (kph). Occasionally, he mixed it up with a well-placed short ball or slower cutter that kept the batters on their toes.
Once again, this was death bowling before the final overs. It seemed logical: if the batting line-up is going to approach every over as a slog over, it could be advantageous for the bowlers to do the same.
Overall, LSG’s fast bowlers delivered a total of 14 yorkers or full-tosses during the first 16 overs of SRH’s innings. This surpasses the record of only three instances in IPL history where teams bowling first have managed to achieve such numbers (note: this comparison excludes teams defending totals due to dew causing an increase in full-toss numbers). It is worth noting that five out of the top seven instances have occurred in the past two seasons, during which scoring rates have significantly risen.
The team may not always be victorious. In their previous match against RR, SRH started off similarly, with Fazalhaq Farooqi aggressively bowling yorkers and delivering two full-tosses in the first over. Unfortunately, both him and his teammates struggled with execution and deviated from their game plan.
LSG displayed greater confidence in their plans, which ultimately worked in their favor. However, this was only possible due to some lucky breaks that hindered SRH’s momentum. In a crucial moment, Thakur managed to take two wickets in just two balls during his second over. On a different day, the outcome of those deliveries could have been entirely different. The first ball was pitched high, and Abhishek – caught off guard as both Thakur and Avesh Khan had primarily bowled fuller deliveries – mishit his pull shot, resulting in a catch at deep square-leg. Then Kishan, who had scored a century against RR, fell on the very first delivery – inexplicably edging a harmless ball towards the leg side. It seems that Thakur has a knack for getting wickets like these more frequently than other bowlers.
A fortunate turn of events occurred in the 12th over when Prince missed a return catch from Reddy. However, his fumble caused the ball to ricochet onto the stumps behind him, catching Klaasen off guard.
The accumulation of events led to SRH continuing their batting style, with Aniket Verma and Cummins collectively hitting eight sixes in a span of 25 balls. Despite this, their earlier wicket losses allowed LSG’s bowlers to have the upper hand against their tail. With Cummins’ dismissal, LSG was now facing Nos. 9 and 10 as batsmen with only 15 balls left. As a result, only 14 runs were scored during those remaining balls.
Luck played a significant role, as it often does for successful teams in T20 matches. LSG faced one of the most intimidating T20 line-ups ever, and their makeshift bowling attack was not expected to perform well. Despite this, they entered the game with a strategy and did their best to execute it. In doing so, they may have even revealed some useful tactics to other teams.
