Match Center

Right then, that's all from this game where Hyderabad's batting might came to the fore once again and records tumbled left, right and centre. A run-fest in Delhi has set the rest of the weekend up nicely. The 21st of April promises to be a Super Sunday with two exciting matchups on the cards. Kolkata will kick off the action by hosting Bengaluru in the first game of the day at 3.30 pm IST (10 am GMT). Following that, Punjab will square off against Gujarat in the second game, scheduled to begin at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT). As you know, our build-up for both games will begin much sooner. See you then. Cheers!

Travis Head is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his spectacular 89-run knock off 32 balls. He says it's enjoyable and the boys are on a roll this season. Adds he tries to watch the ball closely and thinks he reacted to the ball perfectly. Appreciates Abhishek Sharma and says that the partnership is working quite well for them and he is smashing the spinners aggressively inside the Powerplay as well. Also adds that it's nice to have talented players like Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shahbaz Ahmed down the order and jokingly apologises for not giving them enough opportunities to bat. Ends up by saying that the last year and a half has been really good for him with the bat and he is happy to do well at the top and take it on.

Pat Cummins, the skipper of Hyderabad, says that it was another great game of cricket. Mentions that there was not much in the Powerplay for both sets of bowlers. Adds that after the first six overs, it slowed down, but it was overall a great batting wicket. Tells that there was a bit of grip in the second innings. States that seeing the batters tee off, a part of him is excited and elated but part of him is worried that he will have to bowl there. Ends by saying that he was really happy with how disciplined they were in closing out the bowling.

Time for the presentation ceremony...

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is in for a flash interview. He says that when you are defending those many runs, either you, too, go for many runs, or the opposition collapses as you get amongst the wickets. Mentions that thankfully, so far, they haven't gone for too many or gone for plenty. Mentions that he knows that he is not among the wickets much, but the execution is happening. Feels that it is just a matter of time before the wickets come. States that T Natarajan is a guy who remains silent most of the time, does the job and goes unnoticed. Adds that he is very important to the team. Jokingly says that the batters are ruining them as 180 will feel less when they will defend. Shares that Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma play the same way in the nets. Further adds that it is good for them as they get to practice for such situations.

Rishabh Pant says that the thought process to bowl first was the dew factor. Adds that if they restricted Hyderabad to around 220-230 they still would have a chance. States that the Powerplay made the difference. They got around 120-130 and says that were just catching up throughout the match. Reckons that the ball stopped more in the second innings than they anticipated. Says that when you have such a huge score, the pressure is always there. Appreciates Jake Fraser-McGurk and says that he is batting phenomenally and it is coming nicely for them. Ends up by saying that it's a bitter pill to take but they will look to improve and come back stronger for the next game.

Earlier in the game, Delhi chose to bowl first, but Hyderabad's openers, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, gave their bowlers a tough time. Head reached his fifty in just 16 balls, matching the then record of the season's fastest fifty set by Abhishek. Hyderabad reached 100 runs in just 5 overs, the quickest team hundred in Indian T20 League history, ending the Powerplay with 125 runs, the most by any team in T20 history. Despite Sharma falling just short of his fifty, Head continued his onslaught, scoring 89 runs. Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen could not fully utilize the strong start. Then, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shahbaz Ahmed built a partnership, with Shahbaz scoring his first Indian T20 League fifty, ending unbeaten on 59. Hyderabad finished with 266 runs, their third total above 250 this season. Despite only taking one wicket, Axar Patel was Delhi's most economical bowler, conceding just 29 runs in four overs. Kuldeep Yadav, his spin partner, was expensive but was pivotal in putting the brakes on the Hyderabad onslaught and ended up with four wickets.

With a mountain to climb in the form of 267 runs, Delhi had no other option but to go after it right from ball one. Prithvi Shaw raced off the blocks quickly with four consecutive boundaries but his stay was short-lived. David Warner followed his partner back into the hut soon after. Jake Fraser-McGurk unleashed a real onslaught and notched up the fastest fifty of the season of just 15 balls. Abishek Porel was unperturbed by the departure of Fraser-McGurk and ensured that the Delhi innings did not lose steam. However, once Porel got out, Delhi slowed down considerably with Tristan Stubbs and Rishabh Pant struggling to find the fence. Stubbs' dismissal left Pant with all to do and the Delhi skipper just could not find his touch, resulting in the required run rate getting out of control. Delhi appeared to be on the rise with two consecutive wins before this match. However, this tough defeat sets them back to where they started.

A commanding win for Hyderabad! Job well done by Pat Cummins and his men and with this 67-run victory, they take a leap from fourth to second in the standings. Batting dominance backed up by an impressive bowling display has helped the Men in Orange and Black to secure their fifth win of the season. Despite putting a mammoth total on the board, the game was far from over at the halfway mark and Hyderabad had to be up for the challenge, more so given the short boundaries at the venue. They were able to send both Delhi openers in the hut early but were soon put under the pump by Jake Fraser-McGurk and Abishek Porel. Mayank Markande helped them get rid of both dangerous-looking batters and they never looked back since. Pat Cummins and T Natarajan bowled well in tandem in the middle phase and made life difficult for the Delhi batters by drying up the boundaries. Nitish Kumar Reddy chipped in as well before Natarajan ran through the tail, finishing with figures of 4 for 19 from his four overs, including a maiden, his best-ever figures in T20 cricket.

OUT! TAKEN! Delhi is done and dusted on 199! Nitish Kumar Reddy comes from around the wicket and bangs it short in length, angling into the batter on the chest level. Rishabh Pant shuffles a bit to the off stump and pulls it with no timing on it. He even loses the grip of one hand from the bat as the ball flies and travels straight into the hands of T Natarajan patrolling the deep fine leg region. He reverse cups it and Hyderabad win by 67 runs. They move up to the second spot in the Points Table with this huge convincing victory.

On the hard length, around off, Mukesh Kumar stands tall and pats it underneath the bat. A triple-wicket maiden from T Natarajan. What an excellent bowling display from him!

Aims a yorker but ends up bowling a full toss. Mukesh Kumar pushes it to the off side. So no hat-trick for T Natarajan.

Mukesh Kumar comes out to face the hat-trick ball.

OUT! LBW! An appeal for LBW and the umpire gives it out! Kuldeep Yadav has gone upstairs and has challenged the umpire's decision. Another perfectly-aimed yorker from T Natarajan, right at the toes of the southpaw, Kuldeep Yadav is late to bring his bat down in time and the ball pings his front boot. UltraEdge shows a flat line. Ball Tracking confirms three reds and the on-field decision stands. T Natarajan gets his fourth wicket. These are now his career-best figures in the Indian T20 League.

Kuldeep Yadav is the new man in.

OUT! BULL'S EYE! BOWLED'EM! Third wicket for T Natarajan! Aims a pin-point yorker, attacking the stumps with precision. Anrich Nortje clears his front foot to squeeze it out but is totally beaten all ends up as he plays all over the line of the ball. The ball breaks into the stumps in a blink of an eye. An excellent display of yorker bowling. Picture-perfect execution from him.

Yorker on the middle, Anrich Nortje jams it in time and hits it back to the bowler.