Best Bowling Performances of Khaleel Ahmed in IPL
Another one of a fine line of talents that was discovered at a U-19 World Cup, Rajasthan pacer Khaleel Ahmed has made rapid strides in his career to become a regular in the senior Indian side. A fast, accurate, and tireless bowler, Ahmed used his height and pace extremely well, getting regular wickets in the international arena as well as the domestic circuit.
Ahmed’s journey in the IPL is another contributing factor to his rapid rise – having made his debut for Delhi Capitals, he then turned out for the Sunrisers Hyderabad and has proved to be a great success.
5 Best Bowling Performances of Khaleel Ahmed in IPL
Let’s take a look at why he’s considered such a promising talent by recounting the top bowling performances of Khaleel Ahmed in IPL matches.
5. 4-0-42-3 vs Mumbai Indians (2019)
Kicking off this list of the top 5 best bowling performances of Khaleel Ahmed in IPL matches is his excellent spell against Mumbai Indians in 2019. Playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Ahmed played his part in keeping the free-scoring Mumbai side to a manageable total of 162/5 in 20 overs. His three victims in his spell of 3/42 included the dangerous Rohit Sharma, the high-scoring Suryakumar Yadav, and the destructive Kieron Pollard, three prize scalps in any setting. Unfortunately for Ahmed, his efforts with the ball went in vain as the match ended in a tie that Mumbai ended up winning in the Super Over thanks to Jasprit Bumrah’s heroics.
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4. 4-0-40-3 vs Kings XI Punjab (2019)
Best Bowling Performances of Khaleel Ahmed in IPL: Staying in the 2019 edition of the tournament for this next entry on the list of the Read More: Top 5 Bowling Performances of Nathan Coulter-Nile in IPL career, we have his effort against Kings XI Punjab. Batting first, Ahmed’s Sunrisers Hyderabad put on a mammoth score of 212/6 in 20 overs, thanks largely to David Warner’s superb 81. Kings XI did not get off to the best of starts in their innings, losing dangerman Chris Gayle to Ahmed early on. The left-arm pacer then got rid of Gayle’s countryman Nicholas Pooran before ending the King’s XI charge completely by dismissing KL Rahul, who had scored 79. With the loss of Rahul the chase fizzled out completely and Kings XI ended up losing by 45 runs and Ahmed finished with figures of 3/40 in his 4 overs.
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3. 4-0-37-3 vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (2019)
Continuing with the 2019 edition of the IPL, we have Sunrisers Hyderabad’s encounter against Royal Challengers Bangalore, where once again Ahmed shone with the ball. SRH was led by Kane Williamson’s sparkling knock of 70 as they posted 175/7 in the first innings of the match. After that, the SRH bowling attack got stuck into the RCB batting lineup – Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed Parthiv Patel in the first over before Ahmed sent Virat Kohli back to the hut soon after. However, a huge and vital partnership between Shimron Hetmyer and Gurkeerat Singh brought RCB back on track and even though Ahmed dismissed Singh for 65 and Washington Sundar for a duck, it was enough for the men from Bangalore to take the win by 4 wickets with 4 balls to go.
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2. 4-0-33-3 vs Kolkata Knight Riders (2019)
Top Bowling Performance of Khaleel Ahmed in IPL: One of Ahmed’s most memorable performances in the 2019 IPL was his match-winning spell for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Kolkata Knight Riders. Batting first, KKR could only manage to score 159/8 in their 20 overs as Ahmed and Co. kept their explosive batting lineup in check. The left-arm was the destroyer-in-chief, dismissing openers Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine as well as the number three batsman Shubman Gill and destroying any momentum that the innings had. The SRH batsmen had no such problems, sailing to the win with 9 wickets in hand in just 15 overs, with Ahmed scooping up the man of the match award as well.
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1. 4-0-30-3 vs Delhi Capitals (2019)
Next up on this list of the top 5 bowling performances of Khaleel Ahmed in IPL matches is his performance against his former side, Delhi Capitals, in 2019. Batting first, Delhi posted a score of 155/7 thanks largely to useful contributions from skipper Shreyas Iyer and Colin Munro. For SRH, Ahmed starred with the ball, taking the key wickets of Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, and Rishabh Pant, ending up with figures of 3/33. Unfortunately for SRH, the Delhi bowling attack was on fire on the night, bowling SRH out for 116 despite a great opening stand of 72 between David Warner and Jonny Bairstow. The side from the capital thus claimed the win by 39 runs despite Ahmed’s best efforts.
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