HYDERABAD: Pat Cummins’ figures of 3-19 went in vain after rain ended his and Sunrisers Hyderabad’s chances of reaching the playoffs as their clash against Delhi Capitals was called off on Monday. Hyderabad restricted Delhi to 133-7 in 20 overs, but rain fell ahead of the chase and after about one hour and 45 minutes the officials decided to share one point each between the two teams.
Rain stopped after more than 70 minutes but the ground remained covered with puddles of water and Cummins and Delhi skipper Axar Patel shook hands. Last year’s runners-up Hyderabad with seven defeats, three wins and one no result fell out of the playoffs contention along with Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals. Delhi in fifth place keep their dream alive of winning their first-ever IPL title. The top four teams at the end of the league stage will move into the playoffs. Australia’s Cummins struck on the first ball of the match and had the opposition reeling at 62-6, before Ashutosh Sharma and Tristan Stubbs put on 66 runs for the seventh wicket.
Cummins elected to field first and took a wicket in each of his first three overs to send back Karun Nair for a first-ball duck, Faf du Plessis (three) and Abishek Porel (eight). Harshal Patel dismissed Axar, and KL Rahul fell to Jaydev Unadkat in a dominant bowling performance by Hyderabad.
Stubbs and impact substitute Ashutosh both scored 41 each to check Delhi’s slide. Ashutosh took on the attack in his 26-ball knock, laced with two fours and three sixes, before falling to Sri Lankan Eshan Malinga in the final over. South Africa’s Stubbs finished off the innings with his fourth boundary but rain had the final say. It was the second match of the current IPL season to be called off due to rain.
Meanwhile, South Africa pace bowler Kagiso Rabada has returned to India for selection in his IPL team Gujarat Titans after serving a ban for recreational drug use, the franchise said Monday. Rabada, 29, left the Indian Premier League to return home last month after a positive drug test resulted in him serving a provisional suspension.
“Kagiso Rabada has accepted responsibility and regrets his mistake,” Gujarat said in a statement. “South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) has completed the investigation. Rabada has honored his provisional suspension and has also completed a program. He is now fully available for selection in the remaining matches of the IPL.”
The statement did not specify the length of the suspension. Rabada, who played just two matches for Gujarat in this season of the T20 tournament, was “deeply sorry” for his actions. “This moment will not define me. I will keep doing what I have always done, continuously working hard and playing with passion and devotion to my craft,” Rabada said.
Gujarat are placed fourth in the 10-team table with four league matches left for the 2022 champions, who won the IPL in their debut season. Top four teams at the end of the league phase will move into the play-offs. Rabada is South Africa’s leading fast bowler. He has taken 327 wickets in 70 Tests and is expected to play a key role for South Africa in the World Test Championship final against Australia starting at Lord’s in London on June 11. — AFP