Jaipur, April 26 (IANS) Head coach Daniel Vettori praised the little but crucial contributions that made a big difference as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) pulled off a five-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Saturday.

Reflecting on the win, Vettori highlighted how key moments from both the bowling and batting units helped SRH chase down a daunting 229-run target.

“Just a couple of little things that were extremely pleasing today, that sometimes go unnoticed, but understanding how important they are,” Vettori said in a dressing room video released by SRH on X

After being asked to bat first, Rajasthan Royals posted a massive 228/6, powered by a sensational 103 off 37 balls from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and a quickfire 51 from Dhruv Jurel. Despite the early onslaught, SRH managed to regain some control in the death overs, which proved vital in the context of the match.

Vettori singled out Praful Hinge for his comeback after a tough start. “I thought that was Hinge today, coming back from that first over to rally and finish off what was a very good last four overs, and in the scheme of things, it’s probably one of the big contributing factors to us winning tonight,” he explained.

Chasing the big total, SRH came out with aggressive intent despite losing an early wicket. Ishan Kishan led the charge with a blistering 74 off 31 balls, while Abhishek Sharma smashed 57 off 29 as the duo stitched a match-defining 132-run partnership.

Vettori also credited Nitish Kumar Reddy for maintaining the momentum during the chase. “On the batting side, that was Nitesh today, to come in and bring that intensity and intent right from the start, to take any pressure away from what was happening in the game after we’d started so well, was fantastic,” he said.

SRH eventually chased down the target with nine balls to spare, completing a clinical run chase in a high-scoring contest.

Summing up the team effort, Vettori emphasised how such small but impactful moments shaped the result. “So we had two little things at either end of the innings that had such a significant contribution to winning,” he added.

Meanwhile, with this win, SRH have moved up to the third position in the points table with 10 points in eight matches. They will next face the Mumbai Indians on April 29.

–IANS

sds/