Abdul Samad blasts a straight six off Sandeep Sharma

Having warmed the bench largely in Indian Premier League 2023, Glenn Phillips made the most of his opportunity. He struck three consecutive sixes and a boundary to reduce the equation from 41 off 12 to 19 off 8 as Sunrisers Hyderabad pursued a daunting target of 215.

Abdul Samad miscued a ball to long-off to send the Royals into a state of delirium but the hooter rang, much to the chagrin of Sanju Samson and his troops. Sandeep Sharma had overstepped, leaving the equation at 4 off the last ball. Samad did the honors, getting on his knee and launching the slot ball down the ground for a six to resurrect a game that seemed done and dusted a while ago.

Yuzvendra Chahal dealt a double whammy as Rajasthan Royals brought Sunrisers Hyderabad down from 157-2 to 174-5, getting rid of Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram and Rahul Tripathi in a two-over window. The required rate was now nearing twenty in the 215-run chase, with Abdul Samad and Glenn Phillips occupying the crease. They both went on to finish the job, albeit with Sandeep aiding their endeavor towards the end.