Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) speedster Jacob Duffy made a dream start to his IPL career, claiming a three wicket haul in the season opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
With Josh Hazlewood unavailable, Duffy stepped up and produced a stunning new ball spell, picking up three crucial wickets in quick succession. He dismissed the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head and Nitish Kumar Reddy, effectively dismantling SRH’s explosive top order and giving RCB the perfect start. Duffy finished with figures of 3/22 from his four overs.
The New Zealand pacer was signed at his base price of Rs 2 crore in last year’s auction. Duffy’s recent T20 numbers did not inspire much confidence either, with just three wickets in five matches in the T20 World Cup and an economy rate of 10.86. However, he has started the IPL with a bang.
Duffy struck on the very first ball of the third over. The right arm pacer bowled a shorter delivery into the body after being hit for a six by Abhishek.
The SRH opener attempted a pull shot but failed to connect and was eventually caught by wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma.
He struck again in the same over against Head, removing the dangerous left handed batter with the final ball. Once again, he employed a short of a length delivery that offered no room, and Head found the fielder, putting RCB firmly in control.
Duffy then claimed his third wicket on debut. He stuck to the plan of bowling short, compelling Reddy to attempt a pull shot. Reddy misjudged it and hit the ball into the air, where it was comfortably taken by Abhinandan Singh.
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