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IPL Qualifier 2 KKR Vs SRH, Highlights: All-round Rashid Khan guides Sunrisers Hyderabad to Final

Afghanistan star cricketer Rashid Khan showcased his batting exploits and later shined with the ball to single-handedly propel Sunrisers Hyderabad 13-run win over against Kolkata Knight Riders.

IPL Qualifier 2 KKR Vs SRH, Highlights: All-round Rashid Khan guides Sunrisers Hyderabad to Final

Kolkata, May 25: Afghanistan star cricketer Rashid Khan showcased his all-round skills to single-handedly propel Sunrisers Hyderabad to a 13-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders in the second Qualifier of the Indian Premier League, here on Friday (May 25).

With this win, SRH have stormed into the finals where they'll face Chennai Super Kings at Wankhede Stadium on Sunday (May 27). Hence, it will be battle of the top-two teams of the tournament during the league stage who also met in the first qualifier, in which CSK came out victorious.

IPL Special Site | Ball By Ball | IPL 2018 Stats

Sunrisers have reached their second final in three years. The 2016 IPL champions had defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore last time.

While defending a competitive total of 174, Sunrisers pulled things back strongly in the second-half of the game and restricted KKR to 161/9 in the stipulated 20 overs.

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Rashid Khan, after playing a fiery cameo with the bat, emerged as the hero with the ball for the Sunrisers once again. The wonder spinner from Afghanistan (3/19) was once again at his lethal best and scalped the wickets of dangerous Chris Lynn (48), Robin Uthappa (2) and Andre Russell (3).

The 19-year-old was equally impressive in the fielding department as he helped effect a run-out and took two catches in the deep in the final over to stamp his authority in every department of the game.

"It was much needed for me, just tried my best to give 100% in bowling, batting and fielding. Full focus was to believe in my skills. Much happy with the batting today which was needed at the end. Started my career as a batsman, and I have the belief. Just try my best to look into the length and play according to the length. The focus was to play straight, that's what the coaches said. So where the slower ball or anything, played straight and got runs. Want to dedicate my award to those people who lost their lives in a blast back home," said Rashid, after being awarded the man of the match.

While coming to overhaul the target of 175, KKR were off to a blistering start. Opener Sunil Narine looked in great touch as he plundered 26 off 13 before getting dismissed in 3.2 overs.

The scoreboard read 40 before Sunil Narine perished caught by Carlos Brathwaite off Siddharth Kaul (2/32). But by then Narine and Lynn (48 off 31) had already done the initial damage as they went hammer and tongs against the Sunrisers bowlers from the word go.

Narine's departure in the powerplay didn't stop Lynn and new man in Nitish Rana (22) as the duo continued to bat aggressively and picked up boundaries and sixes at will to take KKR to 81 for one after eight overs.

Just when it looked KKR were on course, four quick wickets brought Sunrisers back into the match.

First Rana got run out in the ninth over and then a struggling Robin Uthappa was cleaned up by Rashid in the 11th over as the batsman went for an expansive reverse sweep.

To make matters worse for KKR, skipper Dinesh Karthik was castled by Shakib Al Hasan in the 12th over before Rashid caught set batsman Lynn plumb in front of the wicket in the next over as the Australian went for a sweep.

Rashid then came back an over later to dismiss dangerous Andre Russell as the West Indian edged a googly straight to Shikhar Dhawan at the lone slip as KKR slipped to 118 for six.

Piyush Chawla scored a run-a-ball 12 before getting out but it was young Shubman Gill (30) who kept KKR in the hunt, hitting Kaul over mid-off boundary in the last ball off the penultimate over to bring down the equation to 19 off last over.

Shivam Mavi then hit Brathwaite for a boundary in the first ball off the final over before the West Indian picked up Mavi and Gill with consecutive deliveries to shut the door for the hosts.

Earlier, Sunrisers' batting looked haywire as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals in front of a disciplined bowling from KKR but the Afghan's blistering cameo in the last two overs ensured their bowlers had a respectable total to defend.

KKR bowlers responded to Dinesh Karthik's decision to bowl first as they never allowed Sunrisers batsmen to break free initially.

Kuldeep Yadav stole the limelight with a 2/29 spell that included the prized wicket of Kane Williamson (3), the leading run-getter of IPL-11, while Sunil Narine (1/24) was once again at his tidy best conceding just two runs in the 17th over.

But Sunrisers snatched the momentum scoring 50 runs in the last three overs with wily Afghan spinner Rashid making the difference with his 34 not out off just 10 balls (four sixes and two fours).

IPL 2018: KKR Vs SRH: Qualifier 2: Live Updates: Rashids 10-ball 34 guides SRH to a fighting 174/7

Rashid stepped on the gas in Prasidh Krishna's final over with two sixes that yielded 24 runs. Having started off on an impressive note, Krishna finished with poor figures of 56 runs from his four overs to undo all the good work done by Kuldeep and Narine.

Earlier, KKR bowlers did not get a wicket inside the powerplay but their pace battery of Shivam Mavi, Krishna and Russell bowled with pace and accuracy to stymie Sunrisers run flow.

Drafted into the side in place of Javon Searles in a bold move by KKR to go in with three overseas players, Mavi troubled Wriddhiman Saha with his pace and movement off the seam en route to a fine spell of 1/33 from his full quota.

Returning after five matches, Saha looked awfully out of sorts with six runs from 12 balls and carried on with a dash of luck after being dropped on five when Karthik grassed a skier.

It did not matter much in the scheme of things as KKR got three wickets in five overs after the powerplay with Kuldeep giving breakthroughs with a twin blow in the eight over.

In his first ball, Kuldeep trapped the dangerous-looking Shikhar Dhawan (34) and in the fifth ball, he deceived the 'Orange Cap' holder Williamson (3) with a wrong one.

Kuldeep flighted the ball and Williamson failed to read the wrong one and the ball kissed the edge with Karthik not faltering this time to dismiss his Hyderabad counterpart. Saha's pathetic knock of 35 from 27 balls finally came to an end after a brilliant stumping by Karthik.

(With inputs from PTI)

Story first published: Saturday, May 26, 2018, 2:39 [IST]
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