Published: Apr 18, 2017, 09:14 AM (IST)
Edited: Apr 18, 2017, 09:14 AM (IST)
Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled a brilliant spell on Monday for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in the 10th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL). Bhuvneshwar’s bowling figures of 5 for 19 are now the best by him in limited-overs format. This was his first-ever five-wicket haul in any limited-overs contest. It was Bhuvneshwar’s spell that brought SRH back in the contest when KXIP opener Manan Vohra was almost taking the game away from their hands. Not only wickets, but Bhuvneshwar was economical too, as he conceded only 19 from his spell. SRH eventually beat KXIP by 5 runs. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kings XI Punjab – Match 19
After this match-winning spell, Bhuvneshwar accepted the fact that Vohra almost stole the game from SRH with his brilliant batting. Vohra, who scored 50-ball 95, was dismissed by Bhuvneshwar in the 19th over of the match. During the post match ceremony, Bhuvneshwar said, “T20 is a format where you expect the unexpected and Manan almost took the game away from us. Athletes always talk about believing in themselves and that’s what I did in the 19th over.”
Bhuvneshwar has been the main weapon of SRH in death overs, especially since last edition. He bowled two overs in the death and conceded only 12 runs. Talking about his impressive death bowling, Bhuvneshwar said that he has been doing this for SRH for last three years. “I’ve overcome that pressure because I’ve done this job for SRH for last three years. I knew I had to bowl the 19th over, the match-defining over. I believed in myself. I bowled the 16th/17th over. It wasn’t an easy wicket; it was a great effort from our batsmen who took us to 160. The way we started with the new ball was tremendous. Changing pace really worked for us,” said Bhuvneshwar.
It was Bhuvneshwar, who dismissed both the KXIP openers. He dismissed Amla on the very first ball of the innings and then Vohra in the end. He also picked the crucial wicket of Glenn Maxwell. Talking about taking big wickets in important situations, Bhuvneshwar said, “If you want to win the match defending 160, you have to take initial wickets, the likes of Maxwell, Miller and Morgan.”
