Yuzvendra Chahal couldn't pick a wicket for Rajasthan Royals on Friday but he contributed massively by taking three catches against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Legspinner Chahal took three catches inside the 30-yard box to ensure Royals struck at regular intervals.
Chahal got Rahul Tripathi (37 from 15 balls) and Aiden Markram (1 from 2 balls) off Trent Boult and Nitish Kumar Reddy (5 from 10 balls) off Avesh Khan. The quality bowling helped the Royals to restrict the in-form SRH to 175/9 in their 20 overs.
The three catches taken by Yuzi Chahal is not the most by a fielder in the playoffs. Interestingly that record is held by his teammate Rovam Powell who took four catches against Royal Challengers Bengaluru during the Eliminator on May 22, Wednesday. During the game, four of the eight dismissed RCB batters saw their innings ending in the safe hands of Powell, who dived to the front and walked backwards to complete the catches. Among his victims were the RCB captain Faf du Plessis (17 of 140, Cameron Green (27 off 21), Mahipal Lomror (32 off 17) and Karn Sharma (5 off 4).
Most catches in an IPL game
However, neither of the Rajasthan players can claim the record for taking the most catches during an innings in IPL. Two outfield fielders have managed to take more catches than the Rajasthan Royals player. Afghan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi took five catches for Sunrisers Hyderabad against his current team Mumbai Indians in 2021 at Abu Dhabi. The ongoing season, also witnessed a player completing five catches, when New Zealand star Daryl Mitchell managed the feat while representing Chennai Super Kings against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Chepauk Stadium.
SRH vs RR Playoff 1st innings: As it happened
Pace duo of Trent Boult and Avesh Khan snapped three wickets each but Sunrisers Hyderabad managed to post a competitive 175 for nine against Rajasthan Royals in the IPL Qualifier 2 here on Friday.
Apart from Boult (3/45) and Avesh Khan (3/27), Sandeep Sharma (2/25) also claimed two wickets after RR won the toss and elected to bowl.
For SRH, Heinrich Klaasen top-scored with a 34-ball 50, while Travis Head (34), Rahul Tripathi (37) got starts but couldn't stay longer. Shahbaz Ahmed's run-a-ball 18 gave them a little push in the end.
Brief Score: Sunrisers Hyderabad: 175 for 9 in 20 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 50; Trent Boult 3/45, Avesh Khan 3/27).
