SRH Vs RR, IPL 2024: A Crash Course With Bhuvneshwar Kumar On How To Share Limelight

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is out of India reckoning, and for some time. But the crafty right-arm pacer continues to deliver the goods when his team, now Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), need them the most. On Thursday (May 2), a last-ball wicket helped SRH beat pace-setters Rajasthan Royals (RR) by one run in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. (As It Happened | Full Coverage)

The last time Kumar represented the national team in any format was on November 22, 2022 -- an away T20 International at Napier against New Zealand -- a tied affair which witnessed fellow pacer Mohammed Siraj take the Player of the Match honours.

And on May 2, 2024, India's 15-man squad for the ICC T20 World Cup was already confirmed and there was no mention of Bhuvneshwar, except for his name to make the social media trends, thanks to a brilliant final act.

Match 50 of the IPL 2024: SRH captain Pat Cummins won the toss and opted to bat first. Once again, they breached the 200-run mark, and all they needed was to defend 201. But, it's IPL and "the margin of error is very less here," as reminded by Royals' captain Sanju Samson. "The game is never done till it is done."

The Hyderabad thriller ended with Pat Cummins' Sunrisers completing a seemingly impossible win, their sixth win in 10 matches, and a few more wins will confirm an IPL 2024 playoff spot. But it's IPL. "The margin of error is very less in IPL," as reminded by Royals' captain Sanju Samson, and "the game is never done till it is done."

The final over started with SRH needing to defend 12 runs. After conceding nine off the first three, the equation was down to four off two for a Super Over. With batters having their say in IPL 2024, the chances of SRH pulling off a win or forcing a Super Over looked like a distant dream. Rovman Powell completed a double off the penultimate delivery, and the Windies big-hitter was ready to face the final ball of the match.

A low full toss, with a hint of movement, and it hit Powell's flailing back foot. Replays show the ball hitting the leg stump even as the visitors asked for a review. Bhuvi returned with figures of 3/41 to take the POTM honours. It was not his best, but was enough to defend a total.

"I think that's my nature, I wasn't thinking much about the result in the last over, Kumar, who had already sent social media into a meltdown, said after the match. "There was no discussion in the last over. I just focused on the process... anything could have happened."

Bhuvneshwar Kumar made his senior international debut on December 25, 2012, during Pakistan's historic tour of India. He produced sensational bowling figures of 3/9 in four overs, but failed to inspire India to a win as visiting skipper Mohammad Hafeez played a captain's knock (61 off 44) in Bengaluru.

In a career spanning more than two decades, Bhuvi, without making a big fuss, has taken nearly 300 wickets in international cricket. A member of India's T20 World Cup 2021 squad, this time, he will watch the action from the sidelines as the Rohit Sharma-led India look to end their ICC trophy drought.

In IPL, the bowler from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh has represented three teams -- Royal Challengers Bangalore (2009-10), now defunct Pune Warriors India (2011-13) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (from 2014), and taken 178 scalps with best figures of 5/19.

IPL 2024 Points Table

SRH's remaining matches:

- Mumbai Indians Vs Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 6;

- Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Lucknow Super Giants on May 8;

- Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Gujarat Titans on May 16;

- Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Punjab Kings on May 19.

As things stood, Sunrisers Hyderabad were fourth in the 10-team IPL 2024 points table; while Rajasthan Royals continued to lead the charts with eight wins in their 10 outings. The top four teams at the end of the group stage, of 14 matches each, play the play-offs.