Overconfidence, injury, dropped catch: Story of SRH's first IPL 2018 loss

Who starts an IPL match as the favourite is both a matter of perception and numbers on paper. The real pressure is on the team that knows it is entering the game as the favourite. Similar was the case with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in its Indian Premier League (IPL 2018) match against King XI Punjab (KXIP) in Mohali on April 19. On paper, having won all the three matches played till then, SRH were the clear favourites. However, after beating Chennai Super Kings in a nail-biter and Chirs Gayle's fired-up performance, even KXIP looked no less, especially as they were playing on their home ground.

Playing at IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Thursday, Kings XI Punjab won the toss and decided to bat first. From that moment, a series of unfortunate events kept catching SRH every now and then. KXIP's Chirs Gayle, it seemed, picked up his innings from where he had left it in the previous match against Chennai Super Kings. He took some time to settle down and it did seem that SRH bowlers might get the better of him. But that was not meant to be. Rashid Khan did trouble him a little in his first over, as Gayle did not read him well and edged one to the keeper. Luckily for him, Wriddhman Saha dropped it.