THE RISE AND RISE OF THE SUNRISERS

What happened with Cameron White’s troops the night before does not convey the true potential and talent of the SunRisers Hyderabad. It was a battle well fought. It was a battle that claimed my nails as casualty. Though it left the fans and players of SunRisers Hyderabad disappointed, I think there’s more to cheer about than fret. IPL is here to stay, and so are the SunRisers. Billed as the ‘’underdogs’’... but after winning 10 matches, I think they can lose that tag. They were told to ‘’click as a unit ‘’ and ‘’peak at the right time’’ (in cricketing words) to make it through.  With a few hiccups and many celebrations, the young team has begun their journey in the madness we call IPL. With the tournament nearing its end, let’s take a quick look at their journey... The highs, the lows and most importantly what I call the ‘’ HIT ME, I THINK I’M DREAMING‘’ moments.

SunRisers celebrating.…

The Highs

• Let’s rewind to match 22.The match against Pune Warriors, where Amit Mishra’s crazy hat trick sealed their win, making everyone sit up and take notice.

• DALE STEYN. ENOUGH SAID.

• Shikhar Dhawan coming back into the side; strengthening the batting, helping them chase down those high totals and of course bringing the handlebar moustache back in style.

• Amit Mishra’s THREE hat tricks, because taking a single wicket is just too mainstream!

Amit Mishra - the hero of many wins for SunRisers!

The Ones We Should Have Won

• Having already defeated RCB earlier, one expected a win, but RCB’s skipper took the game away and those valuable 2 points. (If I could, I would let loose Lord Voldemort on him and watch them fight!)

• With 178 against Mumbai, it seemed like a win. We fought bravely but in vain as Keiron Pollard smashed the ball to all parts of the stadium. (I secretly doubt if he is the Hulk- so much of raw strength!)

• The Chennai effect:  Against the whistle podus or that helicopter shot, things just didn’t click, but like they say it’s the darkest before dawn and well as cheesy as it sounds, we ARE the SunRisers.

Dale Steyn wrecked havoc on batsmen with his super fast and devastating bowling…

The ‘Hit Me, I Think I’m Dreaming’ Moments (HMITID)

• SUPER OVER vs. RCB: Who thought an additional over could be the cause of a heart attack… Cameron White, like Harsha Bhogle would say ‘’came to the party’’ and well, it was a party that RCB despite being the team of ‘good times’ could not enjoy.

• PLAYOFFS: The win against KKR, which FINALLY sealed us a place in the playoffs...

• DALE STEYN. Yes, he is the fastest bowler in the world and he will bowl fast, but when he does bowl at 150KMPH, it still leaves you shocked.

• DALE STEYN VS CHRIS GAYLE.  Chris Gayle is a batting brute (something even Sir Ravindra Jadeja would agree with) and to get him out on the first ball itself DEFINITELY counts as a HMITID!

So, that’s it for now. Keep cheering, because we will rise once again in IPL 2014…