Cummins makes a winning comeback as Sunrisers romp to 5-wicket win over Royals

Pat Cummins made a winning comeback to the IPL this season as Sunrisers Hyderabad romped to a comfortable five-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Saturday night.

Cummins had to miss out the early part of the season as he was recovering from an injury but on Saturday, he showed no signs of the injury as he produced a miserly spell to restrict the hosts to 228 for six. Cummins’ boys then ran riot and chased down the target losing just five wickets in the process and with nine balls to spare.

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Sunrisers lost Travis Head (6) in the first over to Jofra Archer but Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan were in no mood let the Royals have a ball.

Abhishek Sharma rode his luck to a half-century against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Saturday. Pics: BCCI

The southpaws went on a rampage which left the Royals’ fans shell-shocked. It was a whiplash of an innings by the India players as they added 132 off just 55 balls for the second wicket. Abhishek contributed 57 off 29 balls and Ishan got 60 off 26 to send the Royals scurrying for cover. By the time they departed, they had all but dusted Royals out of the contest.

Abhishek’s knock contained 11 fours and a six, while Kishan’s 74 came off 31 balls with 11 fours and three sixes.

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“Good to be on the winning side. I had my chances, lucky day for me. I wouldn’t say they were 15 short, but they could have got 15-20 runs more. I just wanted to create room just to trouble them with line and length a bit. What me and Ishan wanted to do, especially with the new ball. I feel once you chase that kind of score, the way the batters are performing. We always knew Pat would come and lead the side. Of course, Patty came and gave that extra experience in the side. How he bowls in those crucial overs give you confidence,” said Abhishek, who is the Orange Cap holder.

Nitish Kumar Reddy (36) and Heinrich Klaasen (29) then gave the finishing touches to the victory with a 53-run stand for the fourth wicket off 31 balls. Sunrisers responded with 229 for five in 18.3 overs.

Ishan Kishan’s 74 came off 31 balls with 11 fours and three sixes

“Dropped a few too many catches. Quality players like Abhishek, can’t drop quality batters. Could have been better on the field. We’ve got to be clinical. Fielding plays a major part in that. We’ve got a day’s break. Mentally refresh and come back the next day. We left 10-15 runs on the table. To be honest, they bowled well in the 18th and 20th. Executed their Yorkers well. Would’ve liked another 15 runs on the board,” said Royals’ skipper Ryan Parag.

Vaibhav slams ton

Earlier, young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi stole the thunder with a flamboyant century. The teenager took on the Sunrisers’ attack as he hammered 12 sixes and five fours in his 37-ball 103.

Vaibhav shared a 112-run partnership for the second wicket with Dhruv Jurel (51). But Royals were unable to break free at the death despite Donovan Ferreira making 33.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi stole the thunder with a flamboyant century. The teenager took on the Sunrisers’ attack as he hammered 12 sixes and five fours in his 37-ball 103

Cummins had the best economy figures

Cummins had the best economy figures from both sides. He gave away only 27 runs in his four overs at an economy rate of 6.75. Eshan Malinga was at his best again as he took two for 38 at an economy rate of 9.50. All the other bowlers were taken to the cleaners by Vaibhav and Dhruv.

“I don’t have a plan for a first-ball six. Before the match, we planned to play freely. To back our game. I thought the wicket was playing well, I backed my game. For the team, I wanted to give my 100% and back my game. I thought that about what shots I can play, and try to visualise it,” said Vaibhav.

Brief scores: Rajasthan Royals 228 for six in 20 overs (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 103, Dhruv Jurel 51, Donovan Ferreira 33; Eshan Malinga 2/38) lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad 229 for five in 18.3 overs (Abhishek Sharma 57, Ishan Kishan 74, Heinrich Klaasen 29, Nitish Kumar Reddy 36; Jofra Archer 2/34, Brijesh Sharma 2/44).