Thanks to a late surge from Glenn Phillips and Abdul Samad, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) walked away with a crucial win over the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Sunday. Phillips provided a vital spark, blasting 25 runs off 7 balls with four boundaries (three of them sixes) in the 19th over. The match came down to the wire with 17 runs required off the final six balls. Sandeep Sharma nearly defended the total, but a critical no-ball on the final delivery gave SRH a lifeline. Samad smashed that free hit for six, sealing an incredible 4-wicket comeback.
Glenn Phillips and Abdul Samad’s late heroics with the bat gave Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) a much-needed win against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Sunday. Phillips played an impactful knock of 7-balls 25, hammering three sixes and a four in the penultimate over. Defending 17 runs in the final over, Sandeep Sharma bowled well and almost won the game for RR but the pacer bowled the final delivery of the game as a no-ball. Samad dispatched the free hit delivery over the ropes and sealed a remarkable 4-wicket win for his side.
RR began their innings strongly, with Jos Butler and Yashasvi Jaiswal putting up 54 runs in the first five overs. Marco Jansen broke the opening stand by trapping Jaiswal for 35 with a slow bouncer. Following that, Butler and Sanju Samson shifted into high gear, aggressively targeting the SRH bowlers with a barrage of fours and sixes.
The duo put on a clinic, building a dominant 138-run partnership for the second wicket. Butler was the standout with a brilliant 95, while captain Sanju Samson played a blistering, unbeaten knock of 66, helping RR post a formidable total of 214/2 after 20 overs.
Starting their chase, SRH's Anmolpreet Singh and Abhishek Sharma provided a solid platform, racking up 51 runs during the powerplay. Looking to break the momentum, Sanju Samson turned to Yuzvendra Chahal, who immediately delivered by dismissing Singh for 33. Abhishek Sharma then joined forces with Rahul Tripathi for a productive 65-run partnership, which ended when Ravichandran Ashwin claimed Abhishek for 55.
Chahal continued his spell by removing Heinrich Klaasen, who had contributed a quick 26. The leg-spinner then tore through the middle order in the 18th over, taking both Tripathi (47) and Aiden Markram (6) to put RR back in the driver's seat. However, the match was ultimately snatched away by the combined efforts of Phillips and Samad.