Chahal makes a mark Not too many people talk about Yuzvendra Chahal, but he keeps getting wickets in white-ball cricket. So much so that he is now the spinner with the most number of scalps in IPL history. Getting Harry Brook with one that hurried on to the latest England batting star was the highlight of his spell, which ended with figures of 4-17 from his four overs, as Sunrisers Hyderabad were never in the contest. Having bowled for a lot of his IPL career at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, known as a bowlers’ graveyard, conditions don’t faze Chahal, and he will again be one of the trump cards if Rajasthan Royals are to go deep in the competition once again. Shining with the ball, the @yuzi_chahal way ✨Relive the @rajasthanroyals spinner's fabulous four wicket haul 👌👌 #TATAIPL | #SRHvRRWATCH 🎥🔽https://t.co/yLIH38iDnS— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 2, 2023 Still the best Trent Boult is no longer a fan of the daily grind of international cricket. That’s why he has turned his back on a New Zealand Cricket central contract. He believes at this stage of his career, he’s better off spending most of his time displaying his skills in various T20 leagues around the world. New Zealand’s loss is the gain of the franchises Boult plays for, as Mumbai Indians earlier and Rajasthan Royals now will testify. The left-armer is still one of the best white-ball operators going around, especially at the start of an innings, as Sunrisers Hyderabad found out to their cost. Moving the ball in the air away from the left-hander is Boult’s signature move. Maybe, Abhishek Sharma didn’t know. After defending two such balls, the left-hander was in the mood for something a bit more adventurous. No chance. A full ball that swung towards the batsman at the beginning of its journey prompted him to give himself some room to access the off-side. 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗼𝘂𝗹𝘁! ⚡️⚡️𝐖 0 𝐖 😉A shaky start to #SRH's chase as they lose Abhishek Sharma & Rahul Tripathi in the first over of the chase!Follow the match ▶️ | #SRHvRR | @rajasthanroyals pic.twitter.com/NwtSFWZbwX— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 2, 2023 But the ball had other ideas. It swerved away late to hit the base of off-stump, leaving the shell-shocked youngster to look back at the destruction left behind him. Next batsman Rahul Tripathi has a reputation of an attacking batsman to maintain, and advanced a couple of steps, only to edge it to slip where a diving Jason Holder held on to a spectacular catch. Sunrisers had learnt a costly lesson, and proceeded to just play out the remainder of Boult’s opening salvo. Tushar Bhaduri Leading from the front When he bats like he did on Sunday, one wonders why Sanju Samson hasn’t quite cut it at the international level. Maybe, it’s a case of the so-called ‘red mist’, and going for an inopportune shot before being properly set. The Rajasthan Royals skipper displays what is called ‘lazy power’. His straight hits off spin and seam alike are something to behold, and captaincy seems to have taken his game a notch higher. An innings of 55 off 32 balls, coming in to bat at No. 3, ensured that he remained till the 19th over, but his three fours and four sixes ensured that the momentum was never totally lost. Samson never seemed to take a backward step, even against the express pace of Umran Malik. But his dismissal in the penultimate over denied the Rajasthan Royals the much-needed finishing kick, as T Natarajan and Fazalhaq Farooqui applied the brakes, and the team ended with a lot fewer than they would have been aiming for at one stage of the innings. Captain leading from the front & how! 👍 👍A 28-ball FIFTY for @IamSanjuSamson 👏 👏Follow the match ▶️ #TATAIPL | #SRHvRR | @rajasthanroyals pic.twitter.com/cMgpDnUgJx— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 2, 2023 Tushar Bhaduri Tough on bowlers Flat pitch, lightning quick outfield, and the afternoon sun beating down – these are conditions to prompt any bowler to consider the futility of his pursuit, or pull a muscle, at least. This is what confronted Sunrisers Hyderabad at their home ground, as they were confronted with Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Even mishits went to the boundary or over it, and it seemed the faster Umran Malik bowled, the faster it went off the bat, even if it was a top edge. The Powerplay carnage yielded 85 runs for the loss of Buttler’s wicket, but the Englishman had reached 50 by then, off just 20 balls. Going by the purple patch he was in last season, as Rajasthan Royals went all the way to the final, Sunrisers may be thinking they got away lightly in the first game. It slowed down a bit thereafter, as Jaiswal chose to consolidate rather than continue in the same vein, but the fourth match of the season kept up with the trend of teams batting first getting off to a turbocharged start. Tushar Bhaduri
