IPL 2023: Brook's sensational ton, Rana and Rinku's fighting knocks and other top moments from KKR-SRH clash

April 14, 2023

Sunrisers Hyderabad are back with a bang! After their campaign off to a shaky start with two defeats in as many games, the ‘Orange Army’ have managed to get their campaign back on track with consecutive victories, including a 23-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday.

IPL 2023: Full coverage | Points table | Schedule | Results | Orange Cap | Purple Cap​

In KKR’s second game of the season at the majestic Eden Gardens, where they had hammered the Royal Challengers Bangalore by 81 runs, it was the Sunrisers that came out on top in a high-scoring contest. Harry Brook led the way for SRH, smashing an unbeaten 100 and helping his side post a massive 228/4 on the board, the highest total of the season so far.

In Photos: Brook’s 100 helps SRH defeat KKR by 23 runs

KKR, in response, lost wickets under pressure from the outset, though it was their middle order that would once again rise to the occasion and deliver under pressure, with skipper Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh taking the game deep. SRH though, managed to keep things tidy in the death overs and ensured KKR fell well short of the target in the end.

As we look back at the events of the 19th match of the season, we take a look at five of the top moments from the KKR-SRH clash:

Brook finally announces himself in the IPL

Harry Brook had set the stage on fire in international cricket as well as in league such as The Hundred, SA20 and Pakistan Super League, and a lot was expected from the Englishman who carried a price tag of Rs 13.25 crore heading into his maiden season in the Indian Premier League. While Brook was subjected to some online trolling and was accused of being an overrated cricketer after scoring just 29 runs in Sunrisers’ first three games of the season, he shut the trolls up in style on Friday.

Brook teed off from the word go against KKR, and although he did slow down a bit against the spinners in the middle overs and was dropped by Suyash Sharma on 45, he would blast off once he went past the 50 mark, going on to become the first batter this season to bring up the three-figure mark and guiding the Sunrisers to the biggest total of the season so far.

Russell’s three-wicket burst

Andre Russell is yet to turn up with the bat in IPL 2023, having collected a sum total of four runs in three outings after starting the season with a 19-ball 35 against Punjab Kings including a 3 against SRH on Friday. With the ball however, Dre Russ started off with a bang, dismissing Mayank Agarwal off his very first delivery of the season and removing Rahul Tripathi later in the same over.

Andre Russell of Kolkata Knight Riders celebrates the wicket of Mayank Agarwal of Sunrisers Hyderabad. Sportzpics

That wasn’t all from the West Indian all-rounder though, as he would halt Abhishek Sharma’s charge at the start of the penultimate over, collecting his third wicket, though he would pull up with an injury right after the wicket and would have to be assisted to the dressing room as a result.

Markram leads from the front

Given the kind of form that he was in heading into the IPL, a lot was expected from Aiden Markram in his first season as Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper. After putting in a finishing act in the form of an unbeaten 37 against Punjab Kings on Sunday, Markram led from the front against the Sunrisers and brought up his first half-century as SRH skipper, getting to the milestone in just 25 balls, only to get dismissed the very next delivery.

SRH skipper Aiden Markram brought up his fourth IPL half-century in just 25 deliveries. AP

While Markram’s 50 by no means overshadowed Brook’s unbeaten 100, it did come at a time when Brook and the Sunrisers had slowed down a little after the fall of a couple of wickets, producing a counterattack that managed to boost the declining scoring rate and ensured they stayed on track for a 200-plus total.

Markande’s tidy spell builds pressure on KKR

While Russell was the pick of the bowlers from both teams with his three-wicket haul, it was SRH leg-spinner Mayank Markande who arguably bowled the spell of the day. The 25-year-old would prise out the wicket of N Jagadeesan who was fairly well set on 36, breaking his partnership with Nitish Rana that was looking increasingly threatening for the Sunrisers. He would then trouble Russell for a bit before getting rid of him for 3 off 6, not allowing him to settle in and become a threat for his side later in the innings. What’s more, he conceded just 27 runs in his four overs, finishing the only bowler with an economy under seven.

Rana, Rinku take the game deep

The scoreboard pressure appears to have done a number on the KKR top-order as Bhuvneshwar’s dismissal of Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the very first over as well as Marco Jansen’s removal of Venkatesh Iyer and Sunil Narine in successive deliveries reduced KKR to 20/3, making it seem as if we were headed for a welcome one-sided encounter after a series of last-ball thrillers this week.

The KKR middle order, however, showed that they were made of steel as skipper Nitish Rana refused to back down, putting up an admirable fightback against the rampaging Sunrisers. Rana turned the tide by smashing 28 runs in one over from Umran Malik, and would later bring up his first half-century of the season in just 25 balls. And it wasn’t just him; Rinku Singh too would carry on from where he left off in Ahmedabad, bringing up his maiden IPL fifty and taking the game to the very final over, taking Kolkata past 200 though in the end, 228 did prove too high a mountain to scare.

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