Livingstone fights hard but SRH get into top 4

The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) defeated the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the twenty-eighth game of the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL). The match was played in the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. Umran Malik was adjudged to be the Man of the Match.

Down and out

The Kings had already been dealt a big blow before the toss, with usual skipper Mayank Agarwal ruled out due to a toe injury received during Saturday's training session. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Thangarasu Natarajan both hit in the powerplay, dealing more damage to the Kings.

Shikhar Dhawan was disturbed by Kumar's strong lengths and was even smacked in the box, leaving him prostrate on the floor. He recovered to restart his innings, but Kumar dismissed him for 8 off 11 balls with a poor pull to mid-on.

Natarajan found inswing and the inside edge of Prabhsimran Singh not long after. Both Natarajan and Nicholas Pooran, who had caught it behind the stumps, were unsure about the edge, but Kane Williamson reviewed it just in time to overturn the on-field not-out judgment. In six overs, the Kings managed 48 for 2, their second-lowest powerplay score of the season. In eight overs, they were reduced to 61 for 4.

Livingstone takes the first shot

The early strikes, on the other hand, did not deter Liam Livingstone from demonstrating his versatility once more. On the second ball he faced, he scooped a four, and three balls later, he scooped Marco Jansen for six more. Livingstone took advantage of Umran Malik's increased pace, shanking him for two sixes and a four, the best of which was a 106-metre six over midwicket.

Livingstone hammered left-arm fingerspinner Jagadeesha Suchith down the ground for a more languid six after he dangled one too full. Soon after, Livingstone made his third half-century in four innings, off just 26 balls.

Khan stymied by Suchith

Unlike Livingstone, Masood Shahrukh Khan got off to a poor start, scoring on his eighth delivery, and Suchith tightened the screws even more by bowling into the pitch. Off Suchith, Khan scored 14 off 13 balls. So, he went looking for runs elsewhere and swung at his Tamil Nadu teammate Natarajan, taking a punch to the head.

In the 17th over, Kumar made the breakthrough when he caught Khan skewing a catch to short-cover for 26 off 28 balls. Livingstone faced only seven balls in overs 16 to 19, thanks to the troubles of Khan and subsequently Odean Smith (13 off 15 balls).

Malik's final over yields four wickets

Malik dominated the Kings' lower order by achieving velocities of close to 150 kph after bouncing out Jitesh Sharma following the powerplay. He bounced out Smith and then castled Rahul Chahar and Vaibhav Arora off consecutive balls in a similar fashion. In one of the most dramatic final-over sequences in IPL history, Arshdeep Singh was run-out off the hat-trick ball. It was only the third occasion in Twenty-20 history that the last four wickets (7–10) fell without adding a score.

Sharma and Tripathi maintain their composure

Kagiso Rabada got the new ball to stick in the DY Patil pitch, and Williamson chipped a drive to mid-off for three runs off nine deliveries. Rahul Tripathi blasted out of the gate, hitting four fours and a six, as he always does. He gave Abhishek Sharma, the other opener, the opportunity to get his eye in on a track where some balls came to a halt and others landed sweetly on the bat.

In the Sunrisers' last encounter against Kolkata Knight Riders, Tripathi continuously played the lofted drive against Varun Chakravarthy, but when he tried to recreate it against Chahar, he picked out long-off. Chahar's length was slightly shorter than Varun's, and he obtained a dip to interfere with Tripathi's timing. Chahar had an advancing Sharma hole out to long-on for 31 off 25 balls in his next over.

Pooran and Markram come out on top

The Sunrisers needed 75 off 57 balls when Pooran and Aiden Markram teamed up. The Sunrisers were able to finish another chase, putting them in the top half of the leaderboard.

Pooran could have been out for 16 in the 14th over if Rabada had taken advantage of a miscue by getting a direct hit. Pooran and Markram then discovered a higher gear, which the Kings were unable to do in their middle and end overs.