Sunrisers Hyderabad speedster Dale Steyn on his run-conceding spree this IPL
SRH's Dale Steyn during the match against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede recently. Pic/Suresh KK
It's a rarity to see Dale Steyn being plundered for runs all over the park. It is mostly the South African speedster, who dominates the batsmen. But the pacer has taken Mahendra Singh Dhoni's onslaught sportingly during the Chennai Super Kings versus Sunrisers Hyderabad Indian Premier League clash in Ranchi last Thursday.
SRH's Dale Steyn during the match against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede recently. Pic/Suresh KK
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CSK skipper Dhoni hammered Steyn for 24 runs in an over — the most runs scored off him in the IPL. This was only until Friday though, because on Saturday Steyn was taken to cleaners by KKR's Yusuf Pathan, who smashed him for a new record of 26 runs (4, 6, 6, 4, 4, 2) in his final over to finish with 4-0-43-0.
Previously, Dhoni and AB de Villiers shared the record of hitting Steyn for 23 runs in an over. Dhoni smashed the South African for two sixes, two fours and a brace in the final over as Chennai posted 185 for three. Dhoni slammed a 41-ball 57 while Steyn conceded 43 runs in his four overs without any wicket. However, Hyderabad, riding on David Warner's brilliant 90, won the match by six wickets.
'Not enough practice'
Steyn said he deserved the slam-bang treatment from Dhoni. "It happens when you bowl loosely to someone of Dhoni's caliber. I feel the travel (schedule) is making it difficult with back-to-back games. The most difficult ball to bowl is the yorker. If you don't have enough time to practice that skill, it is going to be difficult to get it right.
"Unfortunately, I haven't got enough time to practice that delivery. If you are off the mark then good batsmen like Dhoni are going to hit you for a lot of runs. I was off my mark and was hit for a distance. I deserved that treatment," Steyn told Sunday mid-day.
Steyn has had a quite
IPL-7 so far, claiming just 11 wickets in 14 matches at an economy rate of 7.69. The speedster hopes to do well in the remainder of the IPL season. "I am never satisfied with my bowling. The way I have bowled in this IPL, I have been okay.
Obviously, Mishy (Amit Mishra) and I haven't quite fired the way we would have hoped to. But there are still some games to go and you never know what can happen. I am hoping to do well in the remaining matches.
"(Overall), as a team we haven't done badly. We lost two close games which we should have won. We are quite happy with our form," said Steyn, who will turn 31 on June 27.
Talented Bhuvi
One of the biggest positives for Sunrisers Hyderabad is Bhuvneshwar Kumar's performance in IPL-7. The medium-pacer is at par with the tournament's highest-wicket taker KKR's Sunil Narine, claiming 20 wickets in 13 matches.
"Bhuvi is an unbelievable talent. He can swing both ways with tremendous control over his deliveries. "He is somebody who has all the time in the world. It looks like he is practicing when everyone is sleeping because he lands the ball where he wants. He has a very very bright future," Steyn concluded.
7.69
Dale Steyn's economy rate in IPL-7. In 14 games (56 overs) he's given away 431 runs
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