Sunrisers Hold Their Nerve in Final Over Stunner
If you blinked, you may have missed the wildest finish of IPL 2024 so far. On a baking evening in Hyderabad, the Sunrisers Hyderabad survived a fierce run chase by Rajasthan Royals, sealing a nail-biting 1-run victory that kept everyone at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on the edge of their seats. This thriller didn’t just give Hyderabad another two points—it exposed just how thin the margins are in this season’s IPL.
The drama started early. After winning the toss, Hyderabad looked in charge with the bat. Travis Head, known for hammering bowlers in the powerplay, gave SRH a solid start with a swift 58 off just 44 balls. But it was the young Nitish Kumar Reddy who anchored the innings. Standing tall under pressure, Reddy stayed unbeaten on 76—a knock that screamed maturity way beyond his years. Watching him shift gears in the last few overs, picking gaps, and running hard, you’d never guess he was just a season or two into high-pressure cricket. At the end, Heinrich Klaasen rocketed a quick-fire 42* to push the total to an imposing 201/3.
No one thought 201 was a sure thing with Rajasthan’s batting firepower. Once Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag got going in their chase, it seemed Hyderabad’s bowlers might have a tough night. Jaiswal, all timing and boldness, and Parag, determined to prove a point, put together a 134-run partnership for the third wicket. For about 12 overs, every Hyderabad supporter looked worried as the run rate stayed neatly in hand and wickets remained safe in Rajasthan’s dugout.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s Magic and Rajasthan’s Sudden Slide
But all it takes is a single wicket. And that moment came, as it so often does for the Sunrisers, courtesy of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He struck early, ending the hopes of Jos Buttler and Rajasthan’s captain Sanju Samson before they could get set. But it was his death bowling—a precise collection of yorkers and cunning slower balls—that broke Rajasthan’s momentum entirely. Bhuvi returned with figures of 3/21 and once he got Jaiswal, Hyderabad’s fielders rallied, cranking up the pressure. Pat Cummins, never shy to bowl the tough overs, snatched two key wickets, further squeezing Rajasthan’s chase.
Suddenly, the Royals stuttered. A collapse in the back end left them gasping, losing big hitters when steady hands were needed most. Even in the final over, with a sniff of victory, Rajasthan just couldn’t find the boundary under Hyderabad’s unrelenting pressure. The Sunrisers’ bowlers and fielders didn’t just hold on; they seemed to thrive on the chaos.
For Rajasthan, this was the first time all season they’d been unable to chase down a target—a reality that didn’t sit easily with Samson. He called out Hyderabad’s nerve in the final overs, saying, "This is what the IPL is about—a game of the tiniest margins." Hyderabad’s captain and players know it, too. Five times this season they’ve asked bowlers to defend a score, and five times they’ve delivered, making them one of the top defensive units in this IPL.
Games like these are why fans tune in, hoping for wild finishes and last-ball tension. On this night, Hyderabad’s blend of youth and experience just managed to outlast Rajasthan’s charge. The roar of the home crowd at the final whistle said it all: for the Sunrisers, each run defended is starting to look like a small miracle—or maybe, just their new trademark.
