Chasing a 200-plus total against a good bowling attack in a T20 game is never easy. And losing your skipper, and arguably your best batsman, to a controversial decision in the second over doesn’t help either. That’s what Sunrisers Hyderabad experienced at the MCA Stadium here on Tuesday during a one-sided loss to Rajasthan Royals in their IPL-15 opener.
Close call
Sunrisers skipper Kane Williamson edged a Prasidh Krishna delivery but Royals’ wicketkeeper Sanju Samson, diving to his right, saw the ball pop out of his gloves only to be pouched by Devdutt Padikkal, diving forward at first slip. Williamson stood his ground and the on-field umpires went upstairs. Television replays showed it was extremely close and the third umpire ruled Williamson out. The decision didn’t go down well with the Sunrisers team management.
“We were very surprised that it was given out, particularly when we saw the replay,” Sunrisers’ head coach Tom Moody said at the post-match press conference. “I can understand the on-field umpires taking it upstairs, and when that happened, we saw the evidence. We’re certainly not umpires, but it looked pretty clear to us what the decision was,” Moody added. Williamson’s dismissal was followed by another couple of wickets inside the Powerplay, and by the half-way stage, the Sunrisers were out of the contest for all practical purposes.
The other worrying aspect of the game, and one that they could have certainly controlled, is the lack of discipline from the Sunrisers bowlers. Bowling four no-balls in the first four overs—Jos Buttler being caught behind off one of them—and six wides proved to be quite costly. “It’s unacceptable. In this form of the game you get heavily penalised, and we paid the price. When you dismiss arguably the opposition’s best player, you have them on edge at the beginning of their innings,” Moody said about the Buttler dismissal off a no-ball.
Missed chances
“Four no-balls, a no-ball wicket, and a dropped catch in the first five overs, and a total of six wides cost us the game,” added Moody. Royals however, couldn’t have asked for a better start. Not only did they outplay the opposition in all departments, their key batsmen made important contributions, pace bowlers did the early damage, and spinners squeezed the opposition completely after the Powerplay.
“It’s a fantastic start. We are delighted with our first win with an excellent team performance and great contributions. We want to play an expressive brand of cricket and play the situation in front of us,” said Jos Buttler during the post-match press conference.
Williamson fined for slow over-rate
Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Kane Williamson has been fined R12 lakh after his side maintained a slow over-rate during its loss to Rajasthan Royals. “As it was the team’s first offence of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over rate offences, SRH captain Williamson was fined R12 lakhs,” the statement said.
