Sunrisers Hyderabad’s chances of making the playoffs ended on Monday as their home clash against the Delhi Capitals was abandoned due to rain.

It started pouring in Hyderabad a few minutes after the Capitals, put into bat, finished at a modest 133/7. The conditions didn’t improve, and around 11.10pm, the game was called off.

With seven points from 11 matches, last year’s runners-up can only reach a maximum of 13 points if they win their remaining three games. The Capitals, at No.5 in the standings with 13 points, need to win at least two of their remaining matches against Punjab Kings, Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians.

Monday’s result should also bring some smiles to the Kolkata Knight Riders’ camp. If the Knights beat Chennai Super Kings by a big margin
at Eden Gardens on Wednesday, they will join the Capitals on 13 points and may even leapfrog them in terms of net run rate.

Top-class accuracy

Earlier, captain Pat Cummins (3/19) finally rose to the occasion for the Sunrisers with a superb spell that had reduced the Capitals to 29/5 in the eighth over. Australia, too, should be quite pleased to see their captain regaining some rhythm with just over a month remaining for the World
Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s from June 11.

That line outside off-stump and the back-of-a-length stuff, which tormented Team India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under, was back as Cummins removed Karun Nair off the first ball of the game. Pitching on good length, Cummins shaped the ball away just a little bit to induce a faint nick off Nair’s blade.

Nair’s opening partner, Faf du Plessis, too, wasn’t looking too comfortable against the length Cummins bowled. In Cummins’ second and third over of the game, he sent the former Proteas captain back.

A back-of-a-length delivery from Cummins took an edge off Du Plessis’ bat as the latter attempted a pull, giving the skipper his second wicket. Cummins’ decision to give himself another over in the Powerplay worked as he picked up a third with Abishek Porel’s scalp.

Porel’s poor application on a slow surface should worry him, especially ahead of the ‘A’ tour of England, where he has an “outside chance” of being a part.

Late fightback

The harrowing time for the Capitals wasn’t over even after Cummins’ first spell. Their skipper, Axar Patel, mistimed one and was well taken by Cummins, off Harshal Patel.

Soon after, the consistent KL Rahul edged one behind when Jaydev Unadkat came round the wicket.

However, Stubbs played an uncharacteristic knock, with assists from leg-spinner Vipraj Nigam (18) and Ashutosh for the sixth and seventh wickets, respectively. Stubbs and Ashutosh’s 66-run stand was the only period when the Capitals exercised some control.