Hyderabad hope strike bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar returns to top form for tonight's Qualifier 1 against Chennai at Wankhede
Hyderabad pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar during a practice session at Wankhede yesterday. Pics/Prakash Parsekar
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The top two teams of the T20 will stake their claim to seal a final berth when Hyderabad, the No.1 team in the standings, will take on two-time champions Chennai, in the Qualifier 1 at the Wankhede Stadium this evening. Both teams however, are entering the playoffs on a different note. While Hyderabad suffered three consecutive defeats in their last three league games, Chennai's march was hampered by inconsistency where MS Dhoni's men have lost three of their last six matches alternatively.
If Chennai wins today, they will be making their seventh T20 final. For Hyderabad, it will be just their second entry into summit clash if they can beat Dhoni's men who have humbled them on both occasions this season. For Hyderabad to rise to the big occasion, they will require ace pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar to hit top form. Known as one of the best death-overs bowlers, Bhuvneshwar's reputation was in tatters when the young Rishabh Pant of Delhi slammed 43 runs off 11 balls, which included 26 runs off the final over during their May 10 encounter at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Bhuvneshwar Kumar conceded 51 runs and claimed just one wicket in that game.
CSK's Faf du Plessis gets good value for this stroke yesterday
In Bhuvneshwar's comeback match (also against Delhi, on May 5) after an injury break that forced him to miss three games, he was hammered for 33 runs in his four overs and went wicketless at Hyderabad. He just about redeemed himself against Bangalore with 1-27, but leaked too many runs in the last three games and has failed to get early breakthroughs. This has hurt Hyderabad's momentum coming into the playoffs.
Bhuvneswar's form was one of the key reasons for Hyderabad being able to win nine of their first 11 games, that included six consecutive victories (from Match 6 to 11). He, along with pacer Siddharth Kaul (17 wickets), leggie Rashid Khan (16) and Shakib Al Hasan (13) made Hyderabad the most feared bowling unit of this T20.
Hyderabad have given constant reminders of their bowling prowess by successfully defended low totals. One shining example was when Hyderabad bowled out Mumbai for 87 at the Wankhede Stadium after setting them a target of 119 on Sachin Tendulkar's birthday (April 24). There is no doubt that Hyderabad will bank on Bhuvneshwar to shine today if they want to stay back at the same venue to have a shot at their second T20 title.
Also Read: Hyderabad have performed well even without Bhuvneshwar, feels Irfan Pathan
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