IPL 2023, RR vs SRH | Twitter shellshocked as Sandeep Sharma goes from hero to villain with last ball no-ball

05/07/2023

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IPL is rarely short of drama but few encounters have swung as wildly as the encounter in Jaipur on Monday, with the final twist worthy of a blockbuster Bollywood script. RR were already celebrating a win against SRH after a clinical final over when a no-ball signal ended up triggering their demise.

The league stage clash between the underperforming units of Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad ended up being an instant classic, producing the closest clash of IPL 2023 so far. The encounter had everything, from flamboyant knocks to a sensational bowling spell, only for the last-ball shenanigans to take all the limelight in a game that would be remembered for years to come.

SRH required 17 off the final over in Jaipur with Abdul Samad and Marco Jansen at the crease. A six by the former against Sandeep Sharma on the first ball of the over brought the target within reach for the visitors and the equation eventually boiled down to five needed off the last ball. The Indian speedster stayed true to his repute of closing out tense games with some clinical bowling in the death as a full delivery was struck straight to long-off by Abdul Samad. Sharma instantly raised his finger in the sky while his teammates erupted in celebration, only to be given the shock of their lives when the umpire extended his arm by his side to signal a no-ball. Distraught, Sandeep returned to his mark, now having the task to defend four runs but Samad made good on his previous mistake by smacking another full delivery straight down the ground for six.

The RR camp had dismay written all over their face while their counterparts erupted in wild celebration, sending Twitter into chaos with one of the greatest finishes to a T20 game in history.

Incredible Premier League

Unbelievable finish

— Washington Ydav (@WashingtonYdav)

What a finsh!

— Washington Ydav (@WashingtonYdav)

Hero

"SAMAD" your The Hero 👏😎🌟
— Ramachandran{Ram} (@Ramacha39376204)

Fabulous

What a great game 🎯..

philip, klassen, rahul, abhishek, samad!! what a match 🤯

So close yet so far for
— \/@®$|-|@🇮🇳 (@Varsha57392072)

Kashmiri lad

Very happy for the Kashmiri lad Abdul Samad. He won it for SRH with a six on the last delivery.
— Jas Oberoi | ਜੱਸ ਓਬਰੌਏ (@iJasOberoi)

Well played

This is what needed, this is how you close games, Glenn phillips is the man that SRH needed badly and he delivers it. Well played Samad, finishing it with a six.
— Sadik Hasan (@smsadikhasan)

Superb

What a match!!! Ek pal me jazbaat badal die
— VAIBHAV (@esmeKyaRkhaH)

Power of luck

Never witnessed the power of LUCK as clearly as the match between SRH & RR tonight🤯.

Sometimes what seems as a win can unexpectedly turn out to be a tragic failure even at the last moment. Nothing is assured until everything is assured.
— Himanshu Bharti🇮🇳 (@himanshubh1409)

Phenomenal