Welcome to the highlights of IPL 2021, Match 37 between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings. This was Santadeep Dey bringing you all the action as it unfolded at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

HIGHLIGHTS

WHAT THEY SAID

Jason Holder, Player of the Match: Tough loss. At the halfway mark, needing 126, you obviously back yourselves to chase it. We probably left a little too much to get at the end. The stage where I came in, I just had to go for it and it worked. Batters probably weren’t too committal earlier on. Five more games left… we need to build some momentum for the next season.

KL Rahul, PBKS skipper: We are playing some entertaining cricket and have been doing for the last two or three years. I’ll take the win. It gives us a belief that no matter what the situation is, our bowlers can get the opposition out if we get a decent score.

Kane Williamson, SRH captain: The bowling unit, fielding unit did a fantastic job. As was evident, the surface was a tough one. Required partnerships and we were certainly backing ourselves to get close. It took a brilliant individual performance in both halves from Jason Holder, especially with the bat to keep the match competitive.

SRH INNINGS

SRH 120/7 in 20 overs: Holder gets on strike off the first ball.

Gets enough on the second to score six runs. His fifth of the game.

Ellis bowls the slower one next and it is a dot. Perfect execution. 10 needed off 2 now.

Wide. Oh no. The Aussie quick is looking to drop it out of Holder’s arc. 9 needed off 2.

Holder and Bhuvi run a double.

Last ball. Holder needs to hammer a six to enter the Super Over.

Holder mishits. It is a single. This is now the lowest score ever defended in the IPL at Sharjah!

SRH 109/7 in 19 overs: Rashid, surprised by the extra bounce, slashes hard but ends up getting a heavy top edge. Caught and bowled by Arshdeep. Holder has Bhuvneshwar for company now. Hyderabad needs 17 off the last over.

SRH 105/6 in 18 overs: Shami to deliver his last. Holder goes the distance, having been gifted a half-volley. A meaty blow, this, and SRH is suddenly right on track. Ah, pressure… pressure…  The equation stands at 21 in 12.

SRH 96/6 in 17 overs: This is the last thing Hyderabad needed at this point of the innings. A miscommunication sees Bishnoi uproot the stumps at Saha’s end. 30 required now in 18 balls.

SRH 91/5 in 16 overs: A length ball, angled into the pads and Holder sees this disappear deep into the stands. And another maximum! Holder seems to be playing on a different surface here. Ellis, who has been known for his fiery death bowling, is being tested in Sharjah. Time for the last strategic interval for the day.

Jason Holder of Sunrisers Hyderabad bats during match 37 of IPL 2021 between SRH and PBKS at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.   –  Sportzpics for IPL

SRH 75/5 in 15 overs: Bishnoi to bowl out. Will he be able to score a fourth? Holder clears his front foot just a little bit, utilises the little bit of width on offer, to clobber one straight over the bowler’s head for a six. Hyderabad needs many more of those to emerge from the muck.

SRH 64/5 in 14 overs: Harpreet gets in with a quick over. Four runs come off it.

SRH 60/5 in 13 overs: The ball is staying low as well, which is making the job more difficult for the Hyderabad batters. Cleaned him up, has Bishnoi! Jadhav walks back to the dugout, while trying to effect a late cut. Samad walks in and gets going straightaway. Oh well… It’s a short stay for Samad in the middle as he has been snapped up by Gayle at short third. Things are falling apart rather quick for Hyderabad.

SRH 56/3 in 12 overs: A fumble from Gayle sees Saha pick up three runs off Harpreet’s first delivery. The batters additonally convert a single into double courtesy an overthrow off the last ball.

SRH 47/2 in 11 overs: Knocking it about isn’t going to help Hyderabad at the moment with the required run rate creeping into the 9s. They’ve got to try something… target somebody. Bishnoi, meanwhile, continues to bowl quicker through the air as Hyderabad registers four from his over.

SRH 43/3 in 10 overs: Change in bowling. Ellis to try and join the party. There is a slight hint of inward swing into the right hander. Four runs come off the over.

SRH 39/3 in 9 overs: In the air and through the gap… Saha heaves a sigh of relief as his shot just glides wide of the cover fielder. Strategic timeout.

Ravi Bishnoi of Punjab Kings celebrates the wicket of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Manish Pandey.   –  Sportzpics for IPL

SRH 32/3 in 8 overs: Spinners to operate in tandem as Bishnoi gears up to bowl his first. A welcome boundary for Hyderabad as Pandey flicks this past the umpire behind square. Knocked him over! Pandey, looking to play towards the on side, fails to read the wrong’un. SRH in a spot of bother as Jadhav saunters to the crease.

SRH 25/2 in 7 overs: Spin has been introduced. Harpreet to take over Shami’s end. Shouts of “catch” as a leading edge off Pandey’s willow flies towards mid-off. Luckily, for Pandey, there is no fielder stationed there.

SRH 20/2 in 6 overs: Arshdeep replaces Ellis. Saha almost finds himself in trouble at the ‘keeper’s end as he tries to pick up two quick runs. Although Pandey was a bit hesitant, Saha was always coming back for the second, huffing and puffing on the way back. This is SRH’s lowest ever Powerplay score in the IPL.

SRH 15/2 in 5 overs: With the asking rate just over 7, SRH will be wary of Shami’s form. The batters are not looking to take any undue risks against the India pacer, who has taken 13 wickets in this season, thus far.

SRH 12/2 in 4 overs: Debutant Ellis has been handed over the bowling duties. He is the only bowler to have picked a hattrick on T20I debut against Bangladesh recently. The Australian concedes only two runs off his first IPL over.

SRH 10/2 in 3 overs: Edged onto the stumps! Shami gets Williamson this time. SRH in a bit of strife. Out comes Pandey. A WICKET MAIDEN.

SRH 10/1 in 2 overs: Arshdeep to share the new ball with Shami. Saha is away with a couple of runs. The ‘keeper-batsman caps the over in style with a lofted boundary over cover.

David Warner of Sunrisers Hyderabad reacts after being dismissed by Punjab Kings’ Mohammed Shami.   –  Sportzpics for IPL

SRH 2/1 in 1 over: A slip in place for Shami. Warner almost chops one back onto his stumps. Woah… that was really, really close. Shami doesn’t believe what he is seeing. SHAMI GETS HIM NONETHELESS OFF THE VERY NEXT BALL! A faint edge carries to Rahul behind the stumps as the burly Australian’s poor form continues. This is just the start Punjab would have wanted.

Shami to open the bowling for PBKS. SRH’s Saha and Warner are walking out into the middle.

PBKS INNINGS

PBKS 125/7 in 20 overs: Up, up and away… Ellis finally gets a 74m six off Bhuvneshwar’s bowling. The Indian seamer follows up with a wide. However, PBKS’ happiness is shortlived as Manish back-pedals from backward point to pouch an edge off Ellis’ blade comfortably. Bhuvneshwar offers room for Harpreet to swing his hands and that’ll be four runs.

Stat: The lowest score ever defended at Sharjah in the IPL is 150.

PBKS 111/6 in 19 overs: Holder starts off with a wide. However, he cunningly continues to take the pace off the ball to offer absolutely nothing to the batters. Warner, meanwhile, puts his body on the line to save two runs.

PBKS 104/6 in 18 overs: Bhuvneshwar keeps things tight in the over to concede only four runs off it. Only seven fours and a six in this Punjab innings. Runs have been very difficult to come by.

PBKS 100/6 in 17 overs: Rashid replaces Samad and that can only bear further bad news for Punjab now. Just three from the over as the visitor enters triple digits.

PBKS 97/6 in 16 overs: Ooooffff… Super sub Suchith takes a one-handed blinder at cover to send Hooda off! Holder has his man; his third wicket of the day. A time-out has been taken only to maybe allow us some time to catch our breaths. Ellis, the debutant, will be on strike when play resumes.

Jason Holder of Sunrisers Hyderabad celebrates the wicket of Punjab Kings’ Aiden Markram with his teammates.   –  Sportzpics for IPL

PBKS 93/5 in 15 overs: Abdul Samad to bowl for the very first time in this tournament. Right arm leg spin. And as was expected, the Punjab batters are looking to go after him. WICKET! Markram holes out to Manish Pandey while looking to go for a six over the head of the bowler. Harpreet walks in. Hooda calms a few Punjab nerves with a boundary to finish the over.

PBKS 84/4 in 14 overs: A cracking shot from Markram! This was overpitched by Khaleel outside off, and Markram clears his front leg to swing along the line. Four runs.

PBKS 74/4 in 13 overs: Markram, with the exception of the very first delivery he faced, has managed to keep Rashid quiet.

PBKS 68/4 in 12 overs: MAXIMUM! Pooran’s muscled Sandeep’s fourth ball out of the park. Against the run of play and sensational. Oops! He has been made to take the long walk off the very next delivery as Sandeep takes a sharp catch in his followthrough.

Rashid Khan successfully appeals for Chris Gayle’s wicket.   –  Sportzpics for IPL

PBKS 58/3 in 11 overs: Gayle goes upstairs in his attempts to overturn an LBW decision. There is no bat involved. It is Umpire’s Call – ball tracking shows it would have gone on to clip the top of leg stump. Gayle was already walking even before the big screen flashed OUT.

Chris Gayle of Punjab Kings plays a shot.   –  Sportzpics for IPL

PBKS 55/2 in 10 overs: Gayle finally decides enough is enough and welcomes Khaleel back into the attack with a boundary. The Jamaican, looking to guide the last delivery of the over past third man, only manages to pick up a run.

PBKS 45/2 in 9 overs: Spin has been introduced. Rashid to do the honours with a slip in place. Starts off with a vicious googly that has managed to flummox Markram. A rare full toss from the Afghan spinner sees Markram sweep him for four towards deep mid-wicket. It’s time for the first strategic break.

PBKS 39/2 in 8 overs: Holder is making Gayle work for every run. Seven from that over.

PBKS 32/2 in 7 overs: Khaleel to bowl his first. Warner, with one of the safest pair of hands in the team, drops Markram on 3 as he runs towards the ropes from cover. That must hurt.

PBKS 29/2 in 6 overs: Sandeep almost sends Markram back into the hut for nought as well. The South African plays at a delivery that keeps low and full and dips just short of Saha. This is now the second-lowest Powerplay score in the IPL at this venue.

Jason Holder of Sunrisers Hyderabad celebrates after taking KL Rahul’s wicket.   –  Sportzpics for IPL

PBKS 27/2 in 5 overs: Holder has been brought into the attack. He will be desperately looking for a change of fortunes, having had a dull season at the Caribbean Premier League. He strikes! Rahul has dragged Holder’s first ball straight into the safe hands of substitute fielder Jagadeesha Suchith at mid-wicket. THE BIG MAN STRIKES GOLD YET AGAIN! Mayank follows his Karnataka teammate back into the pavilion. Williamson, at mid-off, wouldn’t miss these dollies for anything.

PBKS 26/0 in 4 overs: Rahul is struggling to break the shackles. Gets beaten on the outside edge once and then mistimes a big hit which lands well within the ropes. However, he finally registers a boundary – one that is not streaky – as he scoops a fuller ball from Bhuvneshwar over short fine.

PBKS 19/0 in 3 overs: Mayank whips Sandeep’s first delivery away to Holder at mid-on to pick up a single. Luck favours Rahul once again as he gets away with a half-hearted push that flies past the ‘keeper for four runs.

PBKS 13/0 in 2 overs: Not the quickest of deliveries to start things off from Bhuvneshwar but he will have Rahul thinking as he gets the ball to move away from the right-hander. The first boundary of the innings comes up as Rahul advances and gets a thick outside edge racing away down the third man region.

PBKS 3/0 in 1 over: A hint of swing as the first ball nips into Rahul. He gets off the mark with a deft single off the third. Mayank registers his first run straightaway as well.

KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal of Punjab Kings enter the field.   –  Sportzpics for IPL

The umpires – Richard Illingworth and Yeshwant Barde – are making their way into the middle. KL Rahul takes guard with Mayank Agarwal at the non-striker’s end. Sandeep Sharma to start with the new ball. Let’s play!

– Australian fast bowler Nathan Ellis gets a cap. Did you know his stepdad kept asking for a Punjab playing shirt since Nathan was offered a contract by the IPL franchise?

Read:
Nathan Ellis’ dream month capped off by IPL reality

PLAYING XI

Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (w/c), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis

Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner, Wriddhiman Saha (w), Kane Williamson (c), Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed

WHAT THEY SAID

KL Rahul, PBKS skipper: I was unsure of what to do. May have bowled first as well. Everyone is keen to get out there and turn this around. We have three changes. Fabien Allen, Ishan Porel and Adil Rashid are out. Nathan Ellis, Chris Gayle and Ravi Bishnoi are back in the team.

(On bringing Gayle back in the XI) When you are at the bottom of the table, you are still trying to figure out what your best eleven is. With Chris back in the side, it gives me and Mayank a lot of breathing space at the top. Chris has always delivered for us and hope he can do that again for us today.

Kane Williamson, SRH captain: We will bowl… there are chances of dew later on and it’s a small ground. We will try to restrict them to a low score. It’s important to keep coming up with the energy. At times, it’s easy to reflect on past performances where we have done better but we need to play with that freedom. We are unchanged.

– TOSS: The flip of the coin favours Kane Williamson. SRH to bowl.

– PITCH REPORT BY MURALI KARTIK: Yesterday there was quite some turn on offer. Today we are playing on the adjacent surface. There was 2.9 degrees turn last day. The track today is much soft and there are some spikes. I feel it will be better than yesterday, but not too dissimilar.

– Before we head on to Sharjah for the second fixture of the first double-header of IPL 2021 second leg, catch the live commentary of DC vs RR from Abu Dhabi.

MATCH PREVIEW

Sunrisers Hyderabad, which is on the brink of elimination, will take on the Punjab Kings in Sharjah today.

Sunrisers have just one win in eight matches, and Kings three wins in nine. They occupy the bottom rung of the points table, indicative of the problems the two have endured, particularly with the bat.

While the Punjab side has been guilty of not closing out matches from commanding positions, Hyderabad has been pining for an uptick in batting form, but to no avail.

Warner’s poor run

The Sunrisers batting disintegrated against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday. David Warner’s horror time in the IPL continued as he was dismissed for a three-ball duck, and the absence of Jonny Bairstow has increased the pressure on the likes of Kane Williamson.

Sherfane Rutherford, Bairstow’s replacement, has left the IPL bubble to return home after the death of his father. His exit is a big blow. Sunrisers may consider sending Manish Pandey to open. Since IPL 2019, Pandey has been striking at nearly 149 in the PowerPlay.

Umran for Natarajan

The bowling has been a problem for Sunrisers. Their pace looks ill-equipped for UAE conditions and spin is inadequate with the exception of Rashid Khan. They have signed medium-pacer Umran Malik as a short-term COVID-19 replacement for T. Natarajan.

Meanwhile, in the last match against Rajasthan Royals, Kings needed only four off the final over with eight wickets in hand, but fell short.

The Punjab side has relied on K.L. Rahul and Mayank Agarwal for brisk starts. It has got depth in its batting, but must steer clear of a panic-stricken approach.

Punjab left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh will be one to watch out for after a five-wicket haul against Rajasthan.

– Ayan Acharya

PREDICTED XI

Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Jason Holder, Abdul Samad, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed.

Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (c/wk), Mayank Agarwal, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Fabian Allen, Chris Jordan, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi

Punjab Kings captain KL Rahul after Sunrisers Hyderabad’s away fixture in IPL 2021.   –  Sportzpics for IPL

HEAD-TO-HEAD STATS

SRH has faced PBKS 17 times in the IPL since 2013, holding a 12-5 win-loss record.

TOP PERFORMERS IN THE FIXTURE (OVERALL)

STARS FROM LAST SEASON (IPL 2020)

DC vs SRH DREAM 11 FANTASY TEAM

Wicketkeeper: KL Rahul (PBKS) – captain, Wriddhiman Saha (SRH)

Batters: Kane Williamson (SRH), Mayank Agarwal (PBKS), Abdul Samad (SRH)

All-rounders: Jason Holder (SRH), Deepak Hooda (PBKS)

Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh (PBKS), Rashid Khan (SRH) – vice captain, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (SRH), Mohammed Shami (PBKS)

SQUADS

Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner, Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson (c), Manish Pandey, Vijay Shankar, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma, Shreevats Goswami, Siddarth Kaul, Kedar Jadhav, Mohammad Nabi, Jason Roy, Shahbaz Nadeem, Virat Singh, Basil Thampi, Jagadeesha Suchith, Khaleel Ahmed, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Abhishek Sharma, Priyam Garg, Sherfane Rutherford

Punjab Kings: KL Rahul(w/c), Mayank Agarwal, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Fabian Allen, Adil Rashid, Harpreet Brar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Porel, Chris Gayle, Moises Henriques, Mandeep Singh, Chris Jordan, Jalaj Saxena, Murugan Ashwin, Sarfaraz Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Saurabh Kumar, Utkarsh Singh, Darshan Nalkande, Prabhsimran Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Nathan Ellis

AT WHAT TIME DOES TODAY’S IPL 2021 MATCH – SRH vs PBKS START?

The IPL 2021 match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings begins at 7:30 PM IST.

WHERE TO WATCH TODAY’S IPL MATCH – SRH vs PBKS LIVE?

IPL 2021 will be aired live on Star Sports channels – Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 3 and Star Sports 3 HD. It will also be streamed live on Disney+Hotstar. You can also follow the live commentary and latest updates from IPL 2021 on Sportstar.