IPL 2023: Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen shine in SRH’s win against DC | Cricket
After five quiet games for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2023, Mitchell Marsh finally showed his all-round prowess on Saturday. The 31-year-old Australian claimed figures of 4/27 and then scored a 39-ball 63 but it was not enough as Sunrisers Hyderabad registered a nine-run victory against the hosts at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Chasing 198, Delhi ended on 188/6. Delhi remain at the bottom of the table with just two wins from eight matches.
Sunrisers’ total of 197/6 was built on the efforts of Abhishek Sharma (67 – 36 balls, 12×4, 1×6) and Heinrich Klaasen (53 not out – 27 balls, 2×4, 4×6).
While Delhi lost David Warner in the opening over of the run chase, they looked on course for a rare victory when Marsh and Phil Salt put on 112 runs from 66 balls for the second wicket. Reaching 57/1 in six overs, they were able to maintain the demanding rate even as the fielding restrictions eased. He punished Umran Malik for 22 runs in the seventh over, Marsh clearing the boundary twice off short balls. While Salt reached his fifty in 29 balls, Marsh took 28 balls to reach the milestone.
Sunrisers got the breakthrough they needed when leg-spinner Mayank Markande took a brilliant return catch to dismiss Salt in the 12th over. With Manish Pandey and Marsh also dismissed in consecutive overs, Delhi needed 69 runs in the last six overs. In the end, the target proved out of reach for Delhi despite some sharp strokes from Akshar Patel.
Abhishek – SRH’s leading run-getter with 426 runs last year – provided the initial spark in his third game as an opening batsman this season. He immediately took control of the game by hitting Ishant Sharma for two fours from the off side in the very first over.
Although Mayank Agarwal and Rahul Tripathi were dismissed in the powerplay, Abhishek’s innings allowed Sunrisers to reach 62/2 in six overs. Ishant in particular bore the brunt of the attack, hitting four fours in the final over of the powerplay. When he pitched the ball short, Abhishek managed to find the gap through point. When the length is full, Abhishek targets the arc down the ground.
He brought up his half-century off 25 balls when he smashed Kuldeep Yadav for a six over midwicket. Marsh though was able to provide the breakthrough for Delhi. In the tenth over, he dismissed Aiden Markram and Harry Brook in the space of three balls. While Markram was dismissed after pulling a short ball towards Axar at the deep mid-wicket boundary, Brook’s pull was caught by the same fielder inside the 30-yard circle. Sunrisers did not score a single run in Marsh’s over, but they made up for it by taking 24 runs in the very next over. While Abhishek hit two fours to start Mukesh Kumar’s over, Klaasen ended it with a four and a six.
Even when Abhishek was caught by Warner at long-on, the duo of Klaasen and Abdul Samad ensured that the scoring rate was not affected. They shared a 53-run partnership in just 33 balls to propel the Sunrisers innings, hitting six sixes between them. Klaasen’s half-century – his first of the season – came off just 25 balls.
Abbreviated Score: SRH 197/6 (A Sharma 67, H Klassen 53; M Marsh 4/27); DC 188/6 (M Marsh 63, P Salt 59; M Markande 2/20). SRH won by 9 runs
