SRH vs DC

11:50 PM local time and IST: Things are good if you are in Orange currently, SRH have gone on a run at home with a hat-trick of wins and they now find themselves at number 3 after 7 games with 4 wins to their name. With skipper Pat Cummins likely to return in their next game, their lineup is only going to get stronger from here on in their next game against RR on the 25th. For DC, there has to be some thinking that needs to be done moving forward. Some of their decisions that they made tonight including bowling Nitish Rana's part-time off spin for 4 overs and using Axar and Kuldeep's bowling for 2 overs each certainly needs a revisit. They remain on number 5 with 3 wins and as many losses from 6 games but their NRR has gone into negative with this loss. They will face PBKS next, on 25th, and that is again going to be a tough game for them

That is for later though, tomorrow we will move to Lucknow with number-9 placed LSG needing a win badly against RR who themselves will be looking to get back to winning ways. For now, this is Sourabh Agrawal signing off on behalf of Pradeep and the rest of the team. Cheers!

Abhishek Sharma is the Player of the Match for his 2nd IPL century, 135 runs off 68 balls. Here is what he had to say:

The way we started, we had a plan, me and Heady (Travis Head) wanted to use the powerplay but the wicket was a bit slow. We had to adjust re-plan it, we had our matchups in mind too. As I said in the previous interview as well, you never know what a par score here is and I just wanted to entertain the crowd

Special mention to the coaches and the captain for the backing. When you get the backing like that, you can just go out there and express yourselves as a player. The environment we had at SRH in 2024 was a game changer for all of us. I have always wanted to play like this, even for my domestic team Punjab as well, we love freedom

(on his celebration) I have been doing the 'L' celebration for quite long, it is just love for the stadium and for the support we get here as well as back at the hotel. My parents are here, it is very special for me. My sister is missing as she has some infection, this is for her as well. From my U12 days, my dad has been sitting next to the TV screen, he tells me how to play whenever I am at the non-striker's end. It is incredible as to whenever I look at him, he is looking at me. Very special to perfrom in front of them

Ishan Kishan (SRH captain): What do I say right now? Looking at the way Abhishek batted throughout the innings, the way Klassen finished it off in the end, not a lot to say. Having 200-plus on the board on a pitch like this, we knew that it was not going to be easy for a new batter as the ball got older. All the credit goes to Abhishek

(what is the plan having all those big hitters?) The discussion is to take it match by match, give ourselves a couple of balls and then watch the ball and play our game

(bringing Harsh Dubey late into the attack) I just wanted the ratio of the balls and runs to get as far as possible, it is not easy when the batters are looking to hit everything. I know whenever I give the ball to Harsh Dubey, he gives me wickets and I have spoken to him before that he is going to bowl those crucial overs

Eshan Malinga [Sunrisers Hyderabad]: "(On his performance and support from the team) I’m very happy with my performance, and I’m grateful to all my teammates for their support out in the middle.(On mindset and execution) The plan was similar to the last game—we knew the ball would reverse as it got older. My focus was to stay calm, stick to the basics, and execute consistently.(On using reverse swing effectively)Once I noticed one side of the ball getting worn, I knew reverse swing would come into play. I targeted those lengths and was able to get the desired results.(On learning from Lasith Malinga) Yes, I’ve spent a lot of time working with Lasith Malinga over the past few months. I’ve learned a lot from him, especially about using reverse swing effectively.(On his teammate’s potential) He’s a very talented bowler with great potential. I believe he has a bright future ahead."

Axar Patel [Delhi Capitals captain]: "(On Abhishek Sharma’s innings) If we had taken that catch or effected the run-out early, the innings might have been cut short. But when a batter plays like that—even when you execute your plans well—you have to give credit. It was outstanding batting.(On bowlers’ execution and support) I told the bowlers that even after executing well, if the batter still hits great shots, there’s not much you can do. At that point, you have to move on. What we can control, though, is our fielding—catches and run-outs—and supporting the bowlers in those moments is crucial. That’s an area we could have done better.(On Klaasen’s contribution and overall assessment) It wasn’t just one batter; the support from the other end made it even tougher. When batters perform at that level, it becomes very difficult for any captain to stop the flow.(On team changes and moving forward) There’s no immediate thought of making changes. Given how the game is evolving, with strong batting and good bowling on display, sometimes you have to accept it as an off day—especially on a very good batting surface—and move on."

11:25 PM local time and IST: MATCH SUMMARY

Sunrisers Hyderabad (242/2 in 20 overs) beat Delhi Capitals (195/9 in 20 overs) by 47 runs

Abhishek Sharma 135(68) | Eshan Malinga 4/32(4)
Nitish Rana 57(30) | Axar Patel 1/23(2)

Hat-trick of wins for SRH, three out of three for them at home and this big win makes them jump straight into number 3 on the points table. The Orange Army has got their money's worth tonight, they came in large numbers and they will go back satisfied having seen their team dominate DC in what turned out to be a one-sided clash in the end

Handshakes all around, it is a well-olied SRH unit which has operated efficiently having found some new heroes and rediscovered some old ones and that augurs well for the men in orange as they now go on a trip down the road

Abhishek Sharma put on a show tonight with a scintillating ton propelling SRH to an over par total of 242 runs in 20 overs, they lost just two wickets in the whole innings as Abhishek anhailated the DC bowling to all parts of the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. From there on, it was always going to be a tough ask for DC's batters and to be fair it never really looked like they posed a serious threat to the target

They lost Nissanka early as IPL debutant Madushanka got rid of his countryman from Sri Lanka, DC needed a big powerplay chasing a total like this but even though they lost only wicket in the powerplay, they could only add 59 runs till the field restrictions were in place.

Nitish Rana got a fifty but DC could simply not keep up with the rate, KL Rahul made 37 and then Sameer Rizvi contributed with 41 too but the highest strike rate in the innings was Nitish Rana's 190 in his knock which was never going to be enough in this chase. Also, not a single 20-run plus over in the chase

Plenty of positives on the other hand for SRH, Eshan Malinga continued his form with the ball and registered IPL career best figures of 4/32. Sakib Hussain, the 21-year old from Bihar, was impressive yet again and the both of them combined in the middle to break the back of the chase as DC lost three wickets on the score of 107 either side of the 10th over. Harsh Dubey picked up three cheap wickets in the final over, that augurs well for SRH too

19.6 Harsh Dubey to Lungisani Ngidi, OUT! MADUSHANKA TAKES A BRILLIANT CATCH! THAT IS THAT! SRH annihilate DC! A comprehensive victory this for the Sunrisers, three wins on the trot. Dubey has three in the final over. Length delivery on the off-stump, Ngidi swings across the line and picks out Madushanka at deep mid-wicket who sprints across and clings on.

19.5 Harsh Dubey to Sameer Rizvi, OUT! MILES UP IN THE AIR AND TAKEN! Wickets continue to tumble for DC. Flighted on a length on the off-stump, Rizvi swings hard and miscued it straight down the throat of Madushanka at deep mid-wicket.

19.4 Harsh Dubey to Kuldeep Yadav, drags the length short, Kuldeep uses his feet and tries to play across, but misses and pings on the pad, gets a leg-bye.

19.2 Harsh Dubey to Kuldeep Yadav, LOUD SHOUTS FOR LBW, NOT GIVEN! Might've been missing leg. Good length, angling into middle and leg, Kuldeep misses the sweep, inside edged it off the pad for one.