Hyderabad, April 5 (IANS) A superb counterattacking partnership between Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy rescued Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) from a disastrous start and propelled them to 156/9 in 20 overs against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their Indian Premier League clash at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday.

Put in to bat after Lucknow opted to field, Hyderabad endured a nightmare start as the visitors’ seamers tore through the top order. Mohammed Shami struck in the opening over, dismissing Abhishek Sharma for a duck with a clever slower delivery that induced an edge to short third.

Shami soon added another key scalp when Travis Head miscued a slower ball to mid-off, leaving Hyderabad reeling early. The misery deepened when Prince Yadav produced a sharp inswinger to clean up Ishan Kishan, as the hosts slipped to 11/3 inside four overs.

The pressure continued to mount with wickets falling at regular intervals. Liam Livingstone briefly tried to counterattack and struck a six down the ground, but his resistance ended when leg-spinner Digvesh Rathi induced a miscued paddle that was brilliantly caught by skipper Rishabh Pant behind the stumps. At 35/4 after 10 overs, Hyderabad were staring at one of their lowest first-half totals in IPL history.

With the innings in tatters, Klaasen and Reddy joined forces to mount a remarkable recovery. The duo initially rebuilt cautiously before gradually shifting gears. Nitish began the counterattack with a series of powerful pulls and lofted drives, while Klaasen targeted the gaps with crisp strokeplay.

The partnership gathered momentum after the halfway mark as boundaries began to flow freely. Klaasen smashed Avesh Khan for four consecutive boundaries in the 14th over to turn the tide, while Nitish punished the spinners with towering sixes over long-on and deep extra cover.

The pair brought up a century stand that completely transformed the innings, with Klaasen raising his fifty off 33 balls and Nitish reaching his half-century soon after. Their 116-run partnership for the fifth wicket, the highest for Hyderabad at that stage in the IPL, lifted the hosts from 35/4 to a position of strength.

However, Lucknow struck back decisively in the death overs. Manimaran Siddharth broke the crucial stand by having Nitish caught in the deep for a brilliant 56 off 33 balls, an innings studded with three fours and five sixes. Klaasen followed soon after when he attempted a reverse shot against Avesh Khan and edged it to Pant for a well-made 62 off 41 deliveries.

Avesh then triggered a late collapse with two wickets in consecutive balls, while Prince Yadav cleaned up the tail with a pinpoint yorker. A run-out in the final over further dented Hyderabad’s hopes of finishing strongly.

Despite the late wickets, Klaasen and Nitish’s counterattacking stand ensured Hyderabad recovered from the brink to post a competitive total.

Brief Scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad 156/9 in 20 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 62, Nitish Kumar Reddy 56; Mohammed Shami 2-9, Prince Yadav 2-34) against Lucknow Super Giants.

–IANS

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