IPL 2018: Sportzwiki's Man of the Match - Alex Hales

The 11th edition of the IPL witnessed yet another close finish. Sunrisers Hyderabad’s foreign recruit, Alex Hales made it count once again, as he hit three fours and as many sixes to get to 45 runs off 31 balls. Hales received solid support from the other end too, as Shikhar Dhawan chipped in with a 30-ball 33.

Chasing 164 for glory, the hosts never looked in trouble and a clean little cameo from Yusuf Pathan, who remained unbeaten on 27 off 12 balls, was enough to see them through.

The Delhi Daredevils tried their best after getting a perfect start from youngster Prithvi Shaw. The opener Prithvi Shaw blasted a 36-ball 65 while skipper Shreyas Iyer contributed with a steady 36-ball 44.

Vijay Shankar’s finishing blows took the visitors to a competitive total, and it looked like they will have a lot to bowl at. But a few misses here and there, coupled with sloppy bowling cost them dearly.

Hales wins it for the Orange army

After securing a seven-wicket victory, Hales sounded delighted. He credited the support staff for keeping the players in a good state even when they were not featuring in the playing XI.

The explosive opener Hales said that luck went in his way and he is happy to contribute to the team’s cause.

“Good to be playing. Was waiting for my chance. I’ve enjoyed the first two games. I’ve had a bit of luck getting dropped, but it was a good surface during the Powerplay. The leadership in the franchise has been amazing, the things you can do when you’re not playing. Credit to the coaching staff. Was just trying to get into the bowler’s head tonight, and it’s something I’ve worked on behind the scenes.” Hales said.

The Daredevils would be disappointed on not being able to defend the total. Trent Boult bowled well, even though he failed to bag any scalps.

The Kiwi pacer was taken apart by Pathan in his ultimate over while the rest struggled to keep their line and length. Leggie Amit Mishra too put up a good show, conceding just 19 runs from his four overs and picking two wickets.