Thangarasu Natarajan, the talented pacer, reached a significant milestone by taking his 50th wicket for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) during their recent 6-wicket triumph over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Friday.
The left-arm seamer has been a consistent performer for the Hyderabad-based franchise, achieving this milestone in his 43rd match for SRH. Throughout his stint with SRH, Natarajan has maintained an impressive economy rate of 8.75.
The 33-year-old achieved this milestone during the match against CSK when he dismissed Daryl Mitchell for 13 runs in the 20th over of the IPL 2024 encounter. Natarajan’s contribution to the game against CSK included one wicket for 39 runs in his four-over spell.
In the match, SRH won the toss and chose to bowl first. CSK faced early setbacks with the dismissals of Rachin Ravindra (12) and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad (26 off 21 balls, including three fours and a six), leaving them at 54/2 in 7.1 overs.
However, CSK rallied back with impressive innings from Shivam Dube (45 off 24 balls, with two fours and four sixes), Ravindra Jadeja (31 off 23 balls, with four boundaries), and Ajinkya Rahane (35 off 30 balls, with two fours and a six), guiding them to a total of 165/5 in their 20 overs.
The bowling efforts from Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/28), Thangarasu Natarajan (1/39), skipper Pat Cummins (1/29), and Jaydev Unadkat (1/29) were pivotal for SRH in restricting CSK.
In the chase, SRH’s Travis Head (31 off 24 balls, with three fours and a six) and Abhishek Sharma (37 off 12 balls, with three fours and four sixes) provided a strong start, propelling SRH to 106/0 in 9.4 overs. Aiden Markram’s impressive half-century (50 off 36 balls, including four boundaries and a six) further solidified their position. Heinrich Klaasen (10*) and Nitish Reddy (11*) sealed the victory for SRH, securing a six-wicket win.
For CSK, Moeen Ali (2/23) stood out with his bowling performance, while Deepak Chahar and Maheesh Theekshana also claimed a wicket each.
Abhishek Sharma’s explosive knock earned him the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his valuable contribution to SRH’s victory.
With this win, SRH has climbed to the fifth spot in the IPL 2024 standings, securing two wins and two losses in four games, totaling four points. CSK, with a similar win-loss ratio, holds the third spot with four points, owing to a better run-rate.
The achievement of Natarajan’s 50 wickets for SRH highlights his crucial role in the team’s bowling attack and adds another feather to his cap in the ongoing IPL season.
