Sunrisers hold nerve to make playoffs

HYDERABAD: Sunrisers Hyderabad threatened to blaze into the playoffs. They then opened the back door for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Then Darren Sammy danced down the track and lifted Iqbal Abdulla for successive sixes to send the Uppal Stadium into a frenzy. Sunrisers had taken the final playoff spot in their debut IPL season, after almost blowing it towards the end.
Having watched their bowlers tie Rajasthan Royals in knots during a similar chase two nights ago, Parthiv Patel and Shikhar Dhawan came out determined to be positive. They continued in the same manner for 89 runs in just over 11 overs, and had it not been for a rather needless reverse sweep attempted by Dhawan, Sunrisers, Royal Challengers and their respective fans would have been spared several tense minutes.
It was Parthiv who all but killed the chase at the start. He came out in a volley of cuts, pulls and flicks when offered the slightest width. By the time Dhawan slog-swept Yusuf Pathan for his first boundary, Parthiv was already on 31 off 20. Dhawan now started to toy with the bowling, walking out to hit through extra cover and jumping to slash Jacques Kallis for six over cover.
This barely looked like the slow pitch on which Kolkata Knight Riders had limped to 130. Even after Dhawan went leg-before to Abdulla, Sunrisers needed 31 of 40 at one stage. Then Parthiv walked out to Abdulla and was given leg-before.
Hanuma Vihari, as he has done often in the season, sucked momentum out of the innings. And then heaved a top-edge to backward point after making 6 off 13. In between, he was involved in a terrible mix-up that led to the run-out of Cameron White. Shami Ahmed disturbed Thisara Perera's bails with a yorker, and Sunrisers suddenly needed 19 of 13.
Fortunately, Biplab Samantray got one on the pads to put it away for four. Sammy, who had been made to look absolutely clueless by Sunil Narine during a maiden 17th over, found enough courage to step out to Abdulla and finish the game with a couple of sixes.