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SunRisers Hyderabad's (SRH) explosive batting unit crumbled against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Qualifier 1 of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). The Pat Cummins-led side could only post 159 at the end of the first innings after choosing to bat first at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday, May 21.
SRH were off to the worst possible start, losing their opening pair, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma in the first couple of overs. Rahul Tripathi was stranded at one end as the likes of Shahbaz Ahmed and Nitish Reddy could not make an impression.
Tripathi and Klaasen repaired the innings to an extent, but SRH faced another collapse which they brought upon themselves. Tripathi departed because of a runout, while Abdul Samad played an unnecessarily aggressive shot with over five overs to spare and not many wickets remaining.
Fans bashed SRH's batting approach on social media. Here are a few of the reactions on Twitter:
"Just thrown away wickets," one tweet read.
"Batting first was a bold decision but looks like they took the pressure on themselves to put runs on the board," one fan remarked.
"SRH Losing 8 wickets within the first 15 overs, all because of an aggressive batting strategy might be one of the biggest blunders of this IPL," another tweet read.
SRH were restricted to 162 the last time they played at the Narendra Modi Stadium
SRH did not fare well the last time they turned up at the venue in IPL 2024. During the day encounter against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the early stages of the tournament, they were restricted to a sub-par total and failed to defend it. GT comfortably chased down the total to win the clash by seven wickets.
On that occasion, SRH were outdone by Mohit Sharma and his slower deliveries, but this time, it was Mitchell Starc and his searing deliveries that became their undoing. The left-arm pacer ended up as the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/34.
"Have been fortunate to have played in some big games. Nine months ago, we played in front of a packed stadium. Nice to get a few early wickets, especially with the way SRH play. The whole bowling group was fantastic," Starc said during the innings break.
The winner of the clash between KKR and SRH will progress into the final of the 2024 IPL.
