“Coach and at times, CEO is also obviously involved in team selections. Each and every player takes it well, and they have put in their best efforts,” Iyer had said. A comment that sparked a big debate in the cricket community regarding the involvement of administrators in cricketing decisions.
Fighting knocks by Andre Russell (49 not out off 28) and Sam Billings (34 off 29) guided Kolkata Knight Riders to 177/6 in 20 overs. After winning the toss and opting to bat first, KKR were struggling for 94/5 after 11.3 overs but Russell and Billings stitched a partnership of 63 runs for the sixth wicket and ensured their team had a solid total on the board.
In reply, Abhishek Sharma (43 off 28) and Aiden Markram (32 off 25) played solid knocks for SRH. However, apart from them, none of the Hyderabad batters were able to apply themselves at the crease and crumbled under the pressure.
In the end, Sunrisers Hyderabad were restricted to 123-8 in 20 overs, losing by 54 runs.
