Last Update on: May 10th, 2019 at 01:30 pm
Sunrisers Hyderabad failed to progress further in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) following their two-wicket loss against Delhi Capitals at Visakhapatnam. Although they had an inconsistent run in the tournament, there were many takeaways for Hyderabad from this season. One of them was the young fast bowler Khaleel Ahmed, who had an outstanding season in the ongoing IPL.
The left-arm fast bowler regained fitness only to slot into the playing XI after the first six games. Apart from the injury, Khaleel Ahmed’s recent omission from the ICC World Cup 2019 squad also took a toll on him. However, the 21-year-old fast bowler responded well and did an exceptional job for his franchise. He has consistently picked wickets in the powerplay overs and has also returned in the middle overs to provide breakthroughs. In the nine games, Khaleel accounted for 19 wickets at an economy rate of just over 8. Going by the T20 standards, he did a great job in otherwise, a dismal season for the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Khaleel has grabbed his opportunities
Last night, Khaleel Ahmed removed Shreyas Iyer and Prithvi Shaw in the 11th over to bring Hyderabad back in the game. But a late carnage from Rishabh Pant took the game. Moreover, a slight mistake by Kane Williamson gave Delhi an upper hand in the game. He brought Basil Thampi in 18th over instead of Khaleel where Pant took him for 22 runs to change the course of the game. After the game, Williamson shared high praise for the young fast bowler saying that he has been a threat for the other teams. The Kiwi cricketer also noted that Khaleel has stepped in whenever he has got an opportunity which has come in handy for Hyderabad.
“Khaleel has been outstanding in his ability to pick up wickets in the powerplay and through the middle when we have brought him back. He’s been a real threat for us this season when he’s had his opportunities. And he showed that again today, picking up two wickets in that (11th) over which changed momentum quickly,” Williamson said.
Despite not making into India’s World Cup squad, Khaleel Ahmed will fly to with the national team as a net bowler. He along with Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, and Avesh Khan will be with the team in England to provide the batsmen with extra practice.
