Rain sinks SRH playoffs hopes: Strong show against Delhi goes in vain as match gets called off

Sunrisers Hyderabad desperately needed a win in this match to keep the doors to playoffs open

Hyderabad: Heavy rains, just after Delhi Capitals scored 133 for seven in 20 overs, forced abandonment of any further play, denying Sunrisers Hyderabad a win it desperately needed in the IPL league match at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Monday.

The unseasonal rains, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Delhi, forced the groundstaff to bring on the covers over the entire playing area, dampening the mood of not just the home team camp but also of the near-capacity crowd too. The match was officially called off at 11.10 pm due to a wet outfield.

The result meant Sunrisers have been eliminated from the race for a place in the play-offs and it now has seven points from 11 games, while Capitals have 13 from 11 games.

Earlier, a fighting, seventh wicket stand of 66 between Tristan Stubbs (41, 36b, 4×4) and ‘Impact Player’ Ashutosh Sharma (41, 26b, 2×4, 3×6), who hit three huge sixes, including two in one over off leggie Zeeshan Ansari, helped Delhi, put into bat, post what was eventually a far more respectable total.

Captain and pace ace Pat Cummins bowled with fire (3-0-12-3) removing Karun Nair (0) for a first-ball duck, saw Faf du Plessis (3) play across the line only to edge to wicketkeeper and then struck another huge blow to see Abishek Porel (8) mistime his pick-up shot over square-leg only to see wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan run towards backward short-leg to take his third catch and give the captain his third wicket.

The body language of the Sunrisers was pretty discernible, given the energy with which the players moved around to the delight of the capacity crowd.