It was a frustrating yet joyous Thursday evening for Sunrisers Hyderabad’s fans as their home team officially qualified for the IPL (Indian Premier League) 2024 playoffs, albeit through a washout against Gujarat Titans here at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium.
The only thing that came close to any sort of action was a period of nearly 30 minutes, around 8 PM, when players started their warm-ups and Pat Cummins came out in full gear for the toss.
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But soon, the lush green ground was covered with blue sheets.
Post that, there wasn’t much to do for anyone except wait for the inevitable.
The Shubman Gill-led side, too, was left disappointed as its campaign for this season ended with two consecutive abandoned games. The one at home against Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday meant it was eliminated from the playoffs race.
Two teams and a spot left
Hyderabad getting to 15 points also meant that Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants are no longer in contention for a spot in the playoffs.
While DC has finished all its league games, LSG will play its final game this season on Friday against Mumbai Indians.
This has also turned Saturday’s clash between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings a knockout – the winning team will qualify for the next stage.
Race to finish second
Still, there is something to play for Sunrisers when they host Punjab Kings later this week, hoping to finish second, behind Kolkata Knight Riders.
However, if Rajasthan Royals wins its last match against KKR, it would finish the league stage in the second spot.
If CSK beats RCB, Punjab beats Hyderabad, and Royals lose their last game, then the men in yellow will end up playing the Qualifier 1 in Ahmedabad against Knight Riders.
Source Agencies
