Rahul Tripathi's fighting half-century was cut short by a run-out in the ongoing Indian Premier League qualifier between Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Narendra Modi Stadium here Tuesday.
The right-hander, dismissed for 55 off 35 balls, was shaping up to lead SRH to a sizable total before a misunderstanding in the 14th over ended his innings.
Tripathi came to the crease after Mitchell Starc dismissed opener Travis Head for a duck in the first over. SRH slumped further at 13-2 after Vaibhav Arora sent back Abhishek Sharma in the second over. Starc then struck twice in succession, dismissing Nitish Reddy and Shahbaz Ahmed, to leave Hyderabad reeling at 39-4 by the end of the powerplay.
Tripathi and Heinrich Klaasen steadied the innings with a 62-run stand for the fifth wicket. However, Klaasen's dismissal in the 11th over left SRH at 101-5.
With nine overs remaining and Tripathi well-set, SRH appeared poised for a strong total. But disaster struck in the 14th over when a communication lapse with Abdul Samad resulted in Tripathi's run-out.
On the second ball of Sunil Narine's over, Samad drove the ball towards backward point, where Andre Russell made a diving stop. While Samad set off for a single, Tripathi was caught ball-watching. Russell collected the ball and threw to wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who dislodged the bails with Tripathi stranded mid-pitch.
SRH CEO Kavya Maran expressed visible frustration after the costly mix-up. A visibly heartbroken Tripathi was later seen sitting near the stairs, head on his knees, seemingly in tears.
