Abdul Samad hit a six off the final delivery, re-bowled after a no-ball call, as Sunrisers Hyderabad stunned Rajasthan Royals by four wickets in a dramatic match of the Indian Premier League here on Sunday.
Chasing a target of 215, SRH needed 17 runs off the final over bowled by Sandeep Sharma with Samad and Marco Jansen at the crease. Samad hit a six off the second ball to leave the equation to five runs from the last delivery when the drama unfolded.
Everybody thought Samad was out with Jos Buttler taking a catch near the boundary but the umpire called for a no-ball and the last delivery was re-bowled.
Samad OUT but NOT OUT
SRH needed four runs for a win, but Samad (17 not out), then despatched Sharma's delivery for a six to reach 217 for 6 and notch up one of the most improbable wins in the IPL, leaving RR players shell shocked.
Number six batter Glenn Phillips (25 off 7 balls) also played his part in the turnaround of SRH's fortunes as they needed 69 off the last five overs though with eight wickets in hand.
Phillips spiced up the tall chase by hitting three consecutive sixes and a four off inexperienced pacer Kuldip Yadav in the penultimate over to raise hopes of a stunning win.
Ultimately, RR spinner Yuzvendra Chahal's (4/29) fine effort went in vain, though at one stage it looked like a comfortable win for RR.
Buttler, Samson fire again for RR
Earlier, the Royals piled up 214 for 2, thanks a crafty 95 from English opener Jos Buttler and an unbeaten 66 from captain Samson.
After a 54-run opening stand with Yashasvi Jaiswal (35), Buttler (95 off 59 balls) stitched another 138 runs with Samson (66 not out) in 13.3 overs to steer the Royals to a big total after opting to bat.
Buttler missed a well-deserved century as he got out in the penultimate over with five runs short. He hit 10 fours and four sixes during his crafty innings.
Samson's 38-ball unbeaten knock was studded with four boundaries and five sixes. The SRH bowlers looked clueless throughout the innings with all of them bleeding runs.
The Royals made a rollicking start, reaching 61 for one at the end of powerplay, thanks to a quickfire 35 off just 18 balls from the talented Jaiswal who continued his fine form this season to reach 1000 IPL runs.
Off day in the office for SRH bowlers
Samson targeted Mayank Markande for special treatment as he struck three towering sixes off the hapless bowler in the ninth over which yielded 21 runs.
Buttler, who was relatively quiet in the early part of his innings, began to open up his arms after settling down nicely.
The Buttler-Samson duo kept the run-rate above 10 run an over all the time, reaching 150 in the 15th over as the SRH bowlers became increasingly clueless on how to break the partnership.
The Royals duo kept on getting the sixes every over as they launched onto the SRH bowlers after laying a strong foundation. The Royals added 60 runs off the last five overs.
Samson struck two more sixes off Markande in the 16th over and then reached his third fifty in the 18th over off 33 balls.
Buttler was out five runs short of hundred in the penultimate over with Bhuvneshwar Kumar getting his scalp after a review.
