Proteas players Heinrich Klaasen and Rilee Rossouw traded blows in an Indian Premier League (IPL) thriller in Hyderabad on Sunday.
There were 429 runs scored in the T20 match, with Punjab Kings posting 214/5 and Sunrisers Hyderabad mounting an impressive chase as they made 215/6 as they hunted down their victory target with five balls to spare.
Coming in at number three for Kings after 97 runs were plundered in 9.1 overs between openers Atharva Taide (46 from 27 balls) and Prabhsimran Singh (71 from 45 balls), Rossouw smashed 49 from 24 balls before he was dismissed.
Together with Singh, Rossouw put on 54 runs in 5.1 overs as they increased their already impressive run-rate. In total, Rossouw struck three fours and four sixes as he achieved a strike-rate of 204.
Talk about a spectacular start!
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 19, 2024
A BEAUT of a delivery from Arshdeep Singh to get things going! ❤️💪
Watch the match LIVE on @StarSportsIndia and @JioCinema 💻![CDATA[]]>📱#TATAIPL | #SRHvPBKS | @arshdeepsinghh | @PunjabKingsIPL pic.twitter.com/WInHujNQ8P
Wickets prove costly
Losing wickets at regular intervals hampered Kings towards the climax of their innings, which ultimately proved costly.
In response, Sunrisers got off to the worst possible start as the in-form Aussie Travis Head was out first ball of the innings for a duck. The setback proved minimal though, as Abhishek Sharma (66 from 28 balls) and Rahul Tripathi (33 from 18 balls) put on 72 for the second wicket in just five overs.
Coming in at number five, the wicketkeeper batsman Klaasen smashed 42 runs from 26 balls with two sixes and three fours at a strike-rate of 161. Though Klaasen was out with still seven runs needed, he’d done enough as his side strode to victory with relative ease after his departure.