SRH's Masterstroke: Shahbaz Ahmed's Role As Impact Player In IPL 2024 Qualifier Victory

Impact substitute Shahbaz Ahmed secured the player of the match award as Sunrisers Hyderabad triumphed over Rajasthan Royals by 35 runs in the IPL 2024 Qualifier 2 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday, May 24.

Shahbaz, introduced in the 15th over as an Impact Player, made a significant contribution with an all-round performance. He scored a run-a-ball 18 and delivered impressive bowling figures of 3 for 25 in his four overs.

For his efforts, the all-rounder, who had lost his spot in the playing XI, was rightfully named man of the match. Following the game, Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins disclosed that head coach Daniel Vettori decided to use Shahbaz as the impact player.

"That was Vettori's choice, left-arm orthodox and wanted as many left-arm orthodox as possible," Cummins said during the post-match presentation ceremony regarding Shahbaz's introduction.

SRH has often struggled with their Impact choices, with Sanvir Singh and Anmolpreet Singh registering ducks earlier this season when brought on to make an impact. This time, however, SRH made the right call as Shahbaz's introduction turned the game around.

At 120/6 in 14 overs after being put into bat in a crucial knockout match, Shahbaz played a pivotal role in SRH posting a challenging score. Although his knock was an 18-ball 18, the left-handed batter played a supporting role alongside Heinrich Klaasen.

Shahbaz and Klaasen (50 off 34 balls) shared a 43-run stand off 25 balls to take SRH past 160. The southpaw later ensured that Sunrisers had enough runs on the board to defend on a Chepauk wicket, which often assists slower bowlers.

Sunrisers have heavily relied on their pace bowling set-up to secure victories. However, Cummins surprised everyone by introducing the spin duo of Ahmed and Abhishek Sharma on Chepauk's spin-friendly surface.

Shahbaz and Abhishek Sharma, both left-arm orthodox spinners, ensured that the IPL final would be a rematch between Qualifier 1 teams - SRH and Kolkata Knight Riders.

While Abhishek dismissed in-form players Shimron Hetmyer and skipper Sanju Samson, Ahmed removed Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, and Ravichandran Ashwin to significantly hinder the Royals' run chase.

The left-arm spin duo combined to pick five wickets in their eight-over spell while conceding only 47 runs at an economy rate of 5.87. Cummins noted that it was their bowling in the middle overs that clinched the match for SRH.

"That was a surprise; tried to stick one out of him (Abhishek) with a couple of right-handers and he bowled beautifully. Those two won it with their bowling in the middle overs," Cummins added.

Cummins and SRH will aim to make more use of the left-arm spin duo when they face Kolkata Knight Riders in the title clash at the same venue in Chennai on Sunday, May 26.