Sunrisers Hyderabad needed 35 off 24 with eight wickets remaining and two set batters at the crease. But the offspinner had other ideas
Royal Challengers Bangalore were in debt to Shahbaz Ahmed after the offspinner turned the clash with Sunrisers Hyderabad on its head with a remarkable display in Chennai.
Sunrisers looked destined for victory with Manish Pandey and Jonny Bairstow at the crease and 35 required for victory from 24 balls.
But Shahbaz, playing in just his fourth IPL match, had other ideas.
First, he had England international Bairstow (12) caught by AB de Villiers after a flat delivery was sent skywards.
Pandey (38) followed the very next ball as he chased a wide delivery and was caught by Harshal Patel at short third man.
Though the hat-trick ball was fended away, Abdul Samad followed his teammates back to the changing room as he scooped one up into the air for Shahbaz to catch gratefully.
2️⃣ WICKETS IN 2️⃣ BALLS!
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) April 14, 2021
First Bairstow and then Pandey - are #SRH throwing this away? 🤔
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📋 Scorecard 👉 https://t.co/h1viihsVvE#SRHvRCB #IPL2021 #VIVOIPL pic.twitter.com/nbergKHba7
The performance, he finished with figures of 2-0-7-3 and was named the GameChanger of the Match, turned the contest on its head and though Rashid Khan produced a cameo of 18 off nine, RCB ran out victors by six runs.
It was another instance of a run-chase being butchered after Kolkata Knight Riders failed to get over the line against Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals were unable to beat Punjab Kings.
Meanwhile, it was a landmark day for the 26-year-old Shahbaz who was picked up by RCB for 20 lakh in the 2020 auction.
He played just two matches, against Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals in the delayed United Arab Emirates event but started the campaign in the XI on the opening day and looks set for a central role this term.
Image courtesy of IPL
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