Cricket is a funny game where teams try their level best to scalp wickets and batters aim for as many runs as possible, yet foregoing both in certain circumstances can yield better results. Aniket Verma proved how at the Wankhede on Thursday as an inadvertent short-run culminated in a grand finish.
Sunrisers Hyderabad struggled to get going for large phases of their innings on an uncharacteristic slow and sticky deck in Mumbai on Thursday as a mild flourish from Abhishek Sharma in the powerplay was followed by knocks of little consequence. However, the tables turned drastically across the last three overs, as the visitors went from scoring 20 runs in the past three to smashing a scintillating 47 runs between overs 18 and 20. While Heinrich Klaasen dealt the majority of the damage against Deepak Chahar in a 20-run over, it was Aniket Verma who helped the team take the final step towards setting a par target.
The youngster found himself on strike in the final over with Hardik Pandya steaming in from the other end and only managed to jam an accurate yorker towards long-on. Skipper Pat Cummins, alert at the non-striker’s end, immediately called for two and even though the duo managed to scramble across for the same, the umpires only awarded them one courtesy of Aniket failing to get his bat across the line while turning around at the non-striker’s end.
As it turned out, the silly mistake ended up helping the Orange Army as Aniket struck two maximums in as many balls, his eight-ball 18 taking SRH to 162 much to Twitterati’s amusement.
OOps!
haha!
22 runs in last over 😂😂
Short run lekunte 23 runs— 🎧 (@BaddakaRatna) April 17, 2025
Target- 163
Come on paltan lets do it 💪💪#MIvSRH pic.twitter.com/XLzIfgJbOZ— ASHISH SINGH (@ASHISHS_45) April 17, 2025
Boom!
Most bowled Wickets in IPL
63 – Lasith Malinga
52 – Piyush Chawla
50 – Sunil Narine
40 – Ravindra Jadeja
39 – 𝗝𝗮𝘀𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘁 𝗕𝘂𝗺𝗿𝗮𝗵*
39 – Bhuvneshwar
38 – Rashid Khan#MIvSRH pic.twitter.com/eLIXun91Eo— CriCRavI (@Rkmusic71526042) April 17, 2025
Dot balls!
SRH scored their first six in the 18th over🌳🌳🌳
The destructive batting lineup fell short today_.#MIvSRH #SunrisersHyderabad #Bumrah #TravisHead #SRHvsMI pic.twitter.com/63K01LVgzZ— Commoners’ Corner (@Comn_corner4) April 17, 2025
kya??#MivSRH https://t.co/pr7uYJHMN3 pic.twitter.com/I12QiNzhxI
— Abhikr 🇮🇳 (@abhi_____kr) April 17, 2025
Junior Bumrah!
Powe Finish!
POWER FINISH FROM SRH! 🤯
🔸21 runs off the 18th over
🔸22 runs off the 20th over
🔸Sunrisers finish on 162/5 – a score that looked far off at one stage!
– MI need 163 to win but it won’t be a walk in the park!#MIvSRH #SRHvsMI #TATAIPL #SRHvMI pic.twitter.com/k42BTMAAQ5— Yogesh Goswami (@yogeshgoswami_) April 17, 2025
Drop Ishan and get Aniket in first down for next match.#MIvSRH
— 🥷🏻 (@quagraman) April 17, 2025
Very Brilliant!
