SRH VS PBKS T20S

That is it from this game and another weekend in the 2023 Indian T20 League has flown by. The last unbeaten team, Punjab have also succumbed to a loss and the league is starting to get really exciting. The action continues on Monday, the 10th of April as Bangalore take on Lucknow at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. That game will begin at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT) but the build-up will begin much sooner. Cheers!

Shikhar Dhawan (99* off 66 balls) has been adjudged as the PLAYER OF THE MATCH and very rarely does something like this happen that a player from a losing team gets the award and this just goes on to show how special his knock was. Starts by saying he was just trying to play good shots. Adds that they are capable enough of putting a huge total on the board, but will take a lot of learning from this game. Informs that staying calm is really important. Ends by saying he is very grateful for his knock of 99 runs and adds that he never thought he would reach there.

The captain of Hyderabad, Aiden Markram says that it is a special thing to win in front of the home fans who have been amazing. Adds that he wants to try and back the guys and give them the freedom to express themselves. Mentions that he is super happy for Mayank Markande and says that he took his chance really well. Tells that everyone knows Rahul Tripathi's ability and he has got all the shots in the book and it was a great knock from him. On his own knock, Aiden replies that it clicked well in this game and he enjoyed batting with Rahul. Also says that he will want to take it one game at a time.

The presentation ceremony...

Mayank Markande is down for a quick chat. He starts by saying that he is happy the support staff backed him. Mentions that his game plan is to take wickets in the middle overs and that is what he aimed to do. Adds that working alongside Adil Rashid has helped him a lot. Shares that he has worked a lot on his leg spin as well, during the domestic season. States that the only aim is to make the team win and is glad that he could contribute.

Shikhar Dhawan, the captain of Punjab starts by saying that he is happy with his knock. Mentions as a batting unit, they lost wickets at regular intervals, and they could not post a huge total. Goes on to say that's the main reason they fell short. Adds that they will take a lot of learning from this game. Informs that he is really happy to lead the side, and states that he has a really great group of players at his disposal. Shares that being a captain does not change the way he approaches the game with the blade.

Earlier in the game, Aiden Markram won the toss and put Punjab into bat on a wicket that seemed to offer help to the bowlers. This decision was duly rewarded by the bowlers as Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Marco Jansen picked up three early wickets. From then on, Hyderabad controlled the game and the likes of Umran Malik and Mayank Markande were able to get regular wickets in the middle phase as well. Markande in particular was sensational but they did let go of the grip a bit. Shikhar Dhawan played an unbelievable knock as he put on a 50-plus stand with the last batter and smashed the ball to all parts of the ground, ending unbeaten on 99. Coming to the chase, the runs on the board by Punjab were never enough and a stellar 74* off 48 balls from Rahul Tripathi along with a 21-ball-37 unbeaten cameo from Aiden Markram saw Hyderabad over the line.

Punjab will be a bit disappointed in the end as, after a stellar display by their skipper with the bat, their bowlers too put them in a position of real promise. The spinners bowled decently in the middle phase and also Sam Curran and Arshdeep Singh stemmed the flow of runs but Rahul Chahar couldn't capitalize on a bright start the way his team would have liked to. When they got rid of both the openers for 45 runs, they had the opening but weren't able to maintain their lines and lengths. In the end, Punjab were defeated convincingly.

The target for Hyderabad wasn't a big one but having lost all momentum during the backend of their bowling, they needed a good start. Harry Brook and Mayank Agarwal did start off with a flurry of boundaries but once Brook got out, things became a bit sluggish. Agarwal too fell trying to up the ante and after an edgy start by Rahul Tripathi, he was able to get the boundaries away. Skipper Aiden Markram came in and provided the level-headed support that was required and soon Tripathi was all over the Punjab bowlers. The pair added on exactly 100 runs and sealed the victory for their side.

Hyderabad end the winless streak and open their account in the 2023 Indian T20 League! After an early hiccup in the chase, Rahul Tripathi managed to break the back of the chase with a sublime display and ensured that the home side picked up a crucial win.

FOUR! Top placement. Here are the winning runs. Flatter, outside off. Rahul Tripathi guides it through the gap past point and gets a boundary. Hyderabad win the match by 8 wickets.

FOUR! Three boundaries in a row to end the over. Hyderabad within touching distance of their first win of this season. It is a full ball, on off. Aiden Markram lofts it over the bowler's head for a fine boundary towards long off.

Four! Consecutive boundary. Aiden Markram seems to be in a hurry. Good length, wide of off. Aiden Markram crunches it through cover-point for a cracking boundary.

FOUR! SLAPPED! It is full, wide outside off. Aiden Markram reaches out and slashes it through point for four runs.

Length and on off. Markram defends it back to the bowler.

FOUR! Gets lucky this time. On a length, on the fourth stump line. Aiden Markram gets an inside edge on it. The ball runs down to the fine leg fence for four runs.

Back of a length, on off. Rahul Tripathi whips it to wide of long on for a single.