Rajasthan Royals won by a massive 61 runs against an ordinary-looking Sunrisers Hyderabad in the fifth match of the 2022 IPL. Except for the first over of the match, the Royals were in total control of the match and had a near-perfect game. Let’s look at some stats and key points from the match.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar stuck to pace
The Pune pitch was a fast bowler’s paradise. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, being the experienced bowler he is, stuck to a line and length that were ideal for this pitch – on and around good length on a channel just outside the off stump.
But Kumar wasn’t one-dimensional. He varied his length nicely, from bowling on good length to short of good length and even bowling yorkers to avoid getting hit on the free hits that he conceded. His first over of the match was an absolute swing-bowling treat, where he set up Jos Buttler nicely with two outswingers, followed by an inswinger – all off a good length just outside the fourth-stump channel. He then sucked Buttler into a drive of the widest delivery, getting him caught, only to be denied by a no-ball.
Kumar has an excellent knuckleball, among his other slower ball variations, that he uses smartly, especially at the death. But what was surprising was that Kumar didn’t bowl a single slower ball in the match. With the pitch having a good cover of grass, the slower ball wasn’t going to get any grip off the surface and would have come nicely onto the bat. Hence, Kumar used all his experience and kept varying his line and length rather than his speed.
RR’s smart bowling plans
With good bounce on offer on a greenish pitch that had good pace and bounce for the pace bowlers, Sanju Samson went for the kill, with Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna bowling three overs each in the Powerplay. The duo ensured that the game was done and dusted in the first six overs, where they ran through the Sunrisers Hyderabad’s top order, picking three wickets for just 14 runs – the lowest-ever Powerplay score in IPL.
The duo kept things simple – they kept hitting the good length area. Only four balls were bowled on a fuller length in the Powerplay, none from Krishna. With the pitch assisting the pacers, it would’ve been easier for them to get carried away and bowl full to get the extra swing, but they were extremely disciplined in sticking to the good length balls. In comparison, Sunrisers Hyderabad bowled one over of spin in the Powerplay, and it went for 18 runs.
Contrasting ploys from Krishna and NCN
Prasidh Krishna, a relatively inexperienced bowler in the international circuit, was the standout bowler of the match because of his unwavering consistency. On the other hand, Nathan Coulter-Nile, with years of experience behind him, was extremely disappointing, perhaps the only disappointing factor in a near-perfect game for Rajasthan Royals.
With Krishna getting good bounce off the surface, which was also aided by his height, he kept bowling on good length against the right-handed batters. Not a single ball was bowled onto the stumps. Even against the left-handers, he kept angling the ball across them. Nathan Coulter-Nile sprayed the ball all over the place, lacking control in both line and length.
Against the right-handers, Coulter-Nile bowled at all the possible lengths except nailing a yorker. Along with bowling into the batters’ body, he even drifted down the leg side. Against the left-handers, especially Washington Sundar, he kept angling the ball into his body from round the wicket, with Sundar using his pace and angles to good effect. Sundar scored 24 runs off Coulter-Nile’s third over, which looked like an over without any plans. The difference: Coulter-Nile’s economy rate in his three overs was equal to the runs given by Krishna in his four overs (16).