The evening air in Hyderabad was warm. The floodlights around the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium turned on, lighting up the green grass. The stands were completely full. Orange flags waved in every corner of the stadium.
Out on the field, Siddanth walked to the center of the pitch. Suresh Raina, the captain of the Gujarat Lions, was waiting with the match referee.
Up in the broadcast box, Harsha Bhogle, Ravi Shastri, and Sunil Gavaskar were sitting behind the long desk, ready for the pre-match show.
"Welcome back to Hyderabad," Harsha Bhogle spoke into the camera. "We have a great match lined up today. Sunrisers Hyderabad taking on the Gujarat Lions. The stadium is packed with the Orange Army."
"It is a sea of orange down there," Sunil Gavaskar agreed. "Hyderabad played a fantastic game here a few days ago. Their batting fired, but today, I want to look at their bowling attack. It is simply unfair to the other teams."
"Let's go down to the pitch," Harsha said, touching his earpiece. "Ravi is down there for the toss."
The camera switched to the center of the ground.
"I am here with the two captains," Ravi Shastri announced holding the microphone. "Siddanth has the coin. He flips it. Suresh calls heads. It lands tails. Hyderabad wins the toss."
Ravi turned to Siddanth. "Siddanth, you won the toss. What are you doing?"
"We will bowl first, Ravi," Siddanth said simply. "The pitch looks a bit sticky. We want to see how it plays, restrict them to a low total, and chase it down later under the dew."
"Any changes to the team that won the last game?"
"No changes," Siddanth confirmed. "We are playing the same eleven."
"Good luck," Ravi said, turning to the camera. "So, Hyderabad will bowl first. Let's get ready for the action."
The broadcast cut to a short commercial break.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad team walked out onto the field. The crowd roared loudly. Siddanth set his field. He placed fielders inside the thirty-yard circle to stop the quick singles.
Brendon McCullum and Jason Roy walked out to open the batting for the Gujarat Lions.
Siddanth tossed the new white ball to Mohammed Siraj.
"Keep it straight," Siddanth told the young fast bowler. "Don't try to swing it too much. Just hit the pads."
Siraj nodded. He walked back to his mark.
Over 1 - Bowler: Mohammed Siraj. Batsman on strike: Jason Roy.
Siraj ran in for the first ball of the match. He bowled a fast, full delivery on the middle stump. Jason Roy pushed his bat forward and defended the ball straight down the pitch.
"A solid start by the young man," Harsha Bhogle commented. "Good pace right away."
Siraj bowled the second ball. It was slightly short outside the off-stump. Roy rocked back and punched it to the point fielder. No run.
On the third ball, Siraj bowled full again. Roy pushed it softly toward mid-off and called for a quick single. McCullum ran hard from the other end. They completed the run safely.
Gujarat Lions 1 for 0. Brendon McCullum was now on strike.
Siraj ran in and bowled to McCullum. He aimed for the leg stump. McCullum flicked the ball off his pads toward fine leg. The fielder ran to his right and stopped it. They took one run.
Roy was back on strike.
Siraj bowled the fifth ball. It was a good length delivery. Roy defended it solidly off the front foot.
Siraj bowled the final ball of the over. He tried a yorker, but it ended up as a low full toss. Roy drove it straight to the cover fielder. No run.
"A very tidy first over from Siraj," Sunil Gavaskar noted. "Only two runs from it. He did not look nervous at all."
End of Over 1. Gujarat Lions: 2/0. Jason Roy: 1 (4). Brendon McCullum: 1 (2).
Siddanth took the ball from Siraj and handed it to Bhuvneshwar Kumar at the other end.
Over 2 - Bowler: Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Batsman on strike: Brendon McCullum.
Bhuvneshwar ran in smoothly. He bowled his first ball. It pitched on a good length and swung slightly away from the batsman. McCullum left it alone. The ball went through to the wicketkeeper, Sanju Samson.
On the second ball, Bhuvi bowled a bit fuller. McCullum stepped out of his crease and hit the ball over the mid-on fielder. It bounced once and went over the boundary rope. Four runs.
"There goes McCullum," Ravi Shastri said on the commentary. "He loves to use his feet to the fast bowlers."
Bhuvi didn't panic. He adjusted his line. He bowled the next four balls tightly on the off-stump. McCullum tried to hit them but could only manage to defend or get beaten by the swing. He didn't score any more runs in the over.
End of Over 2. Gujarat Lions: 6/0. Brendon McCullum: 5 (8). Jason Roy: 1 (4).
Siraj bowled the third over. He kept his pace high. Jason Roy managed to hit a boundary past point on the third ball. On the last ball of the over, Roy pushed the ball to the leg side and took a single.
End of Over 3. Gujarat Lions: 13/0. Brendon McCullum: 5 (8). Jason Roy: 6 (10).
Siddanth looked at the two batsmen. They were getting used to the pace. It was time for a change.
Siddanth signaled to Rashid Khan.
Rashid ran over and took the ball. Siddanth adjusted the field. He moved the deep square leg fielder inside the circle. He put a slip fielder in place.
Over 4 - Bowler: Rashid Khan. Batsman on strike: Brendon McCullum.
"A very early bowling change by the captain," Harsha Bhogle noted. "He is bringing the leg-spinner on inside the powerplay. This is an attacking move."
Rashid Khan stood at his mark. He ran in quickly.
He bowled his first ball. It was a standard leg-break. It pitched on the middle stump and spun away slightly. McCullum pushed his bat forward and defended it safely to the off-side. No run.
Rashid walked back to his mark. He spun the ball in his hand.
He ran in for the second ball.
Rashid bowled it slightly quicker through the air. The ball pitched on the middle stump.
McCullum, expecting the ball to spin away like the last one, played inside the line of the ball. He left a gap between his bat and his front pad.
But it was a googly. The ball didn't spin away. It spun sharply inward.
The ball missed the inside edge of McCullum's bat, crashed into his front pad, and deflected straight into the middle stump.
The wooden stump fell backward.
Rashid Khan threw his arms up in the air and shouted in joy. Siddanth ran over from mid-off and gave him a high five.
"Bowled him!" Ravi Shastri yelled into the microphone. "What a delivery! First over, second ball, and he cleans up Brendon McCullum with a beautiful googly! The captain's move works perfectly!"
McCullum shook his head and walked off the field. He was out for 5 runs.
Gujarat Lions were 13 for 1.
Suresh Raina, the captain of the Gujarat Lions, walked out to bat. He took his guard as a left-handed batsman.
Rashid bowled the third ball of the over to Raina. It was a leg-break. Raina watched it carefully and defended it.
On the fourth ball, Rashid bowled a fuller delivery. Raina pushed it toward cover for no run.
On the fifth ball, Raina stepped forward and drove the ball down to long-off for a single. He got off the mark.
Jason Roy was now on strike for the final ball of the over.
Rashid bowled a fast, flat delivery. Roy defended it from the crease.
End of Over 4. Gujarat Lions: 14/1. Jason Roy: 6 (11). Suresh Raina: 1 (3).
Siddanth gave the ball back to Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the fifth over.
"That was a brilliant over from Rashid," Sunil Gavaskar praised. "He removed the most dangerous player in the opposition. Now Bhuvaneshwar Kumar can bowl with less pressure."
Over 5 - Bowler: Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Batsman on strike: Jason Roy.
Bhuvi ran in and bowled a perfect out-swinger. The ball started on the middle stump and swung away toward the off-stump.
Jason Roy tried to push the ball through the off-side. He didn't move his feet enough.
The ball took a thin outside edge of his bat.
Sanju Samson, standing behind the stumps with his wicketkeeping gloves, dove to his right and caught the ball cleanly in his right hand.
Bhuvi turned around and appealed to the umpire. The umpire raised his finger immediately.
"Edged and taken!" Harsha Bhogle said. "Another one falls! Bhuvneshwar Kumar gets the outside edge. The Gujarat Lions are in big trouble now in the powerplay."
Jason Roy walked back to the dugout. He was out for 6 runs.
Gujarat Lions were 14 for 2.
Aaron Finch walked out to bat next. He was an aggressive player.
Bhuvi bowled the second ball of the over to Finch. Finch defended it.
Bhuvi bowled the next three balls in the same spot, just outside the off-stump. Finch swung hard at two of them but missed the ball completely. On the last ball of the over, Finch managed to tap the ball to the leg side and run a quick single.
End of Over 5. Gujarat Lions: 15/2. Suresh Raina: 1 (3). Aaron Finch: 1 (5).
Because Finch took a single on the last ball, Suresh Raina was on strike for the start of the sixth over.
Siddanth tossed the ball back to Rashid Khan. The powerplay was ending. The field restrictions were about to lift, but Siddanth wanted to keep the pressure on.
Over 6 - Bowler: Rashid Khan. Batsman on strike: Suresh Raina.
Rashid bowled his first ball to the left-handed Raina. Raina pushed it to the point fielder and took a quick single.
Aaron Finch was now on strike.
Rashid bowled the second ball. Finch tried to sweep it but missed. The ball hit his pad. Rashid appealed, but the umpire shook his head.
On the third ball, Rashid bowled a faster delivery. Finch stepped out of his crease and hit the ball straight down the ground for a boundary. Four runs.
Rashid didn't show any frustration. He walked back to his mark.
He ran in for the fourth ball. He bowled a traditional leg-break.
Finch stepped forward and swung his bat.
The ball spun sharply, took the inside edge of Finch's bat, and bounced onto his stumps. The bails fell off.
Rashid jumped in the air, celebrating his second wicket. The stadium crowd roared loudly.
"He gets him!" Ravi Shastri boomed. "Rashid Khan strikes again! Aaron Finch tries to force the shot and chops the ball onto his own stumps. The Gujarat Lions are falling apart here in Hyderabad!"
Aaron Finch walked off. He was out for 5 runs.
Gujarat Lions were 20 for 3.
Dinesh Karthik walked out to bat.
Rashid bowled the fifth ball to Karthik. Karthik defended it carefully.
Rashid bowled the final ball of the over. Karthik pushed it to mid-on and ran a single.
End of Over 6. Gujarat Lions: 21/3. Suresh Raina: 2 (4). Dinesh Karthik: 1 (2).
The powerplay was over. Siddanth spread his field out. He put fielders on the boundary ropes at long-on, long-off, and deep square leg.
Siddanth looked at the ball. He decided to bring himself into the attack. He took his cap off and handed it to the umpire.
Over 7 - Bowler: Siddanth Deva. Batsman on strike: Suresh Raina.
"Here comes the captain," Harsha Bhogle announced. "Siddanth Deva is bringing himself into the attack. The leading wicket-taker in the history of the IPL is ready to bowl."
Siddanth walked to his mark. He didn't need to bowl at maximum speed. He just needed to bowl accurately.
He ran in for the first ball. He bowled a length delivery, aiming directly at Raina's off-stump. The speed gun showed 142 km/h.
Raina stepped forward and blocked the ball with a straight bat. It went back to Siddanth.
Siddanth picked up the ball and walked back.
He bowled the second ball. It was slightly shorter. Raina hopped on his toes and pushed the ball to the cover fielder. No run.
On the third ball, Siddanth bowled a slow off-cutter. His fingers rolled over the seam. The ball gripped the pitch and stopped a bit. Raina tried to flick it to the leg side but mistimed it completely. The ball hit his thigh pad and dropped down next to the pitch. No run.
Siddanth ran in for the fourth ball. He bowled a fast yorker aimed at Raina's toes. Raina barely managed to bring his bat down in time, digging the ball out. No run.
"This is brilliant bowling," Sunil Gavaskar commented. "He is not giving Suresh Raina any room to free his arms. He is mixing his pace and length perfectly."
Siddanth bowled the fifth ball. It was a good length ball on the middle stump. Raina defended it carefully. No run.
Siddanth ran in for the final ball of the over. He aimed for the off-stump again. Raina tried to cut the ball, but he didn't have any room. The ball went straight to the point fielder. No run.
It was a maiden over. Six balls, zero runs.
"A maiden over from the captain!" Ravi Shastri praised. "He comes on and shuts the scoring down completely. The pressure is building heavily on Gujarat."
End of Over 7. Gujarat Lions: 21/3. Suresh Raina: 2 (10). Dinesh Karthik: 1 (2).
Siddanth gave the ball back to Rashid Khan. It was time for his third over.
Over 8 - Bowler: Rashid Khan. Batsman on strike: Dinesh Karthik.
Karthik was on strike because Raina did not score any runs in the previous over.
Rashid bowled the first ball. Karthik swept it fine down the leg side and took a single.
Suresh Raina was now on strike. The pressure from Siddanth's maiden over was heavy on his mind. He needed to score runs.
Rashid bowled the second ball. It was a tossed-up delivery, landing full on the middle stump.
Raina saw the flight. He decided to attack. He stepped out of his crease and swung his bat across the line, trying to hit the ball over the mid-wicket boundary.
He completely misjudged the spin.
The ball dipped under his swinging bat and crashed directly into the middle and leg stumps.
Rashid Khan ran down the pitch, celebrating with his teammates. Siddanth jogged over and patted Rashid on the back.
"Cleaned him up!" Harsha Bhogle said loudly. "Suresh Raina tries the big slog sweep and misses it entirely. Rashid Khan has his third wicket. The Gujarat Lions captain is gone."
Raina walked off, looking very disappointed. He was out for 2 runs.
Gujarat Lions were 22 for 4.
Dwayne Smith walked out to bat.
Rashid bowled the rest of the over beautifully. Smith managed to hit a single on the fourth ball. Karthik defended the last two balls.
End of Over 8. Gujarat Lions: 24/4. Dinesh Karthik: 2 (5). Dwayne Smith: 1 (2).
Siddanth decided to bowl himself to keep the pressure tight.
Over 9 - Bowler: Siddanth Deva. Batsman on strike: Dinesh Karthik.
Siddanth ran in for the first ball. He bowled a fast, full delivery. Karthik pushed it to the cover fielder and ran a quick single.
Dwayne Smith was now on strike.
Siddanth bowled a short ball. Smith tried to pull it, but the ball hurried onto him. He missed it. No run.
On the third ball, Smith managed to push the ball to the leg side for a single.
Karthik was back on strike.
Siddanth ran in for the fourth ball. He bowled a length delivery, aiming just outside the off-stump. The ball was moving fast.
Karthik tried to guide the ball down to the third-man boundary. He opened the face of his bat.
The ball bounced slightly higher than Karthik expected. It took a thick outside edge of his bat.
The ball flew quickly toward the slip fielder. David Warner was standing at first slip. He reacted instantly, diving to his right, and caught the ball inches from the grass.
Siddanth raised his hand in celebration. Warner threw the ball up in the air.
"Caught at slip!" Ravi Shastri called it on the broadcast. "Siddanth Deva gets his first wicket of the match. A brilliant catch by David Warner. The Gujarat Lions are half down before they even reach thirty runs."
Dinesh Karthik walked away. He was out for 3 runs.
Gujarat Lions were 26 for 5.
Ishan Kishan walked out to bat.
Siddanth bowled the last two balls of the over to Kishan. Kishan defended the first one and pushed the second one for a single.
End of Over 9. Gujarat Lions: 27/5. Dwayne Smith: 2 (4). Ishan Kishan: 1 (2).
Siddanth had bowled two overs. He had conceded only three runs and taken one wicket.
He gave the ball back to Rashid Khan for his final over of the night.
Over 10 - Bowler: Rashid Khan. Batsman on strike: Dwayne Smith.
Rashid was full of confidence. He ran in and bowled his first ball. Smith defended it.
On the second ball, Smith tried to sweep. He missed, and the ball hit his pad. A loud appeal, but not out.
On the third ball, Rashid bowled a flat googly.
Smith tried to play it off the back foot. The ball spun in sharply, beat his inside edge, and hit him directly on the back pad right in front of the stumps.
Rashid turned and shouted, "Howzzat!"
The umpire took his time, then slowly raised his finger. LBW.
Rashid Khan fell to his knees on the grass, raising his hands in the air. Four wickets in the match.
"He has done it again!" Sunil Gavaskar said, highly impressed. "Four wickets for Rashid Khan. He is completely destroying the batting lineup tonight. What a performance by the young man."
Dwayne Smith was out for 2 runs.
Gujarat Lions were 27 for 6.
The rest of the Gujarat Lions innings was a formality. Siddanth brought Yuzvendra Chahal into the attack to bowl his leg-spin from the other end. Chahal picked up two quick wickets in the middle overs.
Mohammed Siraj came back and picked up his second wicket by bowling James Faulkner with a fast yorker.
Trent Boult bowled the death overs. He cleaned up the tail end easily. He bowled the final batsman with an in-swinging yorker.
The Gujarat Lions were completely all out.
The final score was 112 runs in 18.4 overs.
Rashid Khan finished his four overs with figures of 4 wickets for just 19 runs.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad team walked off the field. The crowd gave them a standing ovation. Restricting a team to 112 runs in a T20 match was a fantastic achievement.
The innings break lasted for fifteen minutes.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad opening batsmen, David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan, walked out to the center to begin the chase.
The target was very small. 113 runs to win.
They did not play carefully. They wanted to finish the match quickly.
David Warner started hitting boundaries from the very first over. He cut the fast bowlers through the point region. He pulled the short balls over the mid-wicket boundary. Shikhar Dhawan supported him perfectly from the other end, rotating the strike and hitting the occasional boundary.
The Gujarat Lions bowlers tried everything. They changed their pace. They tried different field placements. Nothing worked. The pitch had flattened out, and the ball was coming onto the bat nicely.
David Warner reached his half-century in just twenty-five balls. He raised his bat to the dressing room.
In the twelfth over, Shikhar Dhawan got out, caught at long-on.
Kane Williamson walked in at number three. He played elegant cover drives, finding the gaps with ease.
Siddanth sat in the dugout watching the game, talking and laughing with team mates without worry. He didn't even need to warm up.
In the fourteenth over, David Warner hit a massive six straight down the ground to finish the match.
Sunrisers Hyderabad won the match by nine wickets. They chased down the target of 113 runs in just 13.4 overs.
The players walked out onto the field to shake hands.
The television broadcast cut to the post-match presentation on the field.
Ravi Shastri stood with the microphone.
"A completely dominant performance by Sunrisers Hyderabad," Ravi announced to the crowd. "They bowled brilliantly and chased the target without breaking a sweat. The Man of the Match award goes to a very special young bowler who took four crucial wickets today. Please welcome, Rashid Khan."
Rashid walked up to the stage, smiling broadly. He accepted the trophy and the prize money check.
"Congratulations, Rashid," Ravi said. "Four wickets for nineteen runs. How did it feel bowling out there today?"
"Thank you," Rashid said shyly. "It felt very good. The captain told me to bowl early. The pitch gave me some turn, so I just tried to bowl in the right areas. I am very happy to help the team win."
"You bowled brilliantly. Well done," Ravi concluded the interview.
---
The broadcast then switched from the stadium to the post-match Extraaa Innings T20 studio.
Gaurav Kapur, the host, was sitting behind the desk. Next to him were the cricket analysts for the night: Kevin Pietersen and Sanjay Manjrekar.
"Welcome back to the studio," Gaurav Kapur said, smiling at the camera. "We just watched Sunrisers Hyderabad crush the Gujarat Lions here. Let's talk about that bowling lineup, gents. It looks impossible to score against them."
"It is a huge problem for the other IPL teams, Gaurav," Sanjay Manjrekar agreed immediately. "Look at what happened today. Siraj and Bhuvi start with swing and pace. Then Rashid Khan comes in and takes four big wickets inside his first few overs. If you survive Rashid, you have to face Yuzvendra Chahal in the middle."
"And it doesn't stop there," Kevin Pietersen added, leaning forward and pointing a pen at the screen. "If you survive the spinners, you have Trent Boult waiting to bowl the death overs. Siraj took two wickets today. Bhuvi took one. Boult took two. And let's not forget the captain. Siddanth Deva only bowled two overs today. He bowled a maiden and took a wicket, giving away only three runs."
"Exactly, KP," Gaurav nodded. "Deva is the all-time leading wicket-taker and run-scorer of this tournament. He didn't even need to bat or bowl his full four overs today. And they have Dale Steyn sitting in the dugout. He might not be at his peak anymore, but his experience in the dressing room is massive. He didn't even play today."
"The bowling definitely takes the edge over the batting in this team," Sanjay Manjrekar concluded. "Their batting is incredibly strong with Warner, Dhawan, Williamson, Samson, and Deva. But that bowling attack... they can win matches on any pitch against any batting lineup. The other franchises are in deep trouble."
The broadcast ended with a highlights package showing Rashid Khan's wickets and David Warner's powerful boundaries.
Siddanth Deva Match Statistics:
Batting: DNB (Did Not Bat)
Bowling: 2 Overs, 1 Maiden, 3 Runs, 1 Wicket. Economy: 1.50.