SRH V/S Kings XI Punjab Rashid and bhuvneshar takes SRH to victory Manan vhora all most won it single handedly for punjab

Despite all its hard-core action and intensity, which sometimes can lead to heated exchanges between players, the Indian Premier League has also seen some heart-warming moments. The latest among those is the involvement of two Afghanistan players - Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi - who were roped in by the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise ahead of IPL 2017.

Rashid, the 18-year-old leg-spinner, has been in the headlines for his fine bowling display in the first few matches for SRH, which spoke volumes of the growth of Afghanistan as a cricketing nation. On Monday (April 17), it was a double sweet moment for the nation as both Rashid and Nabi, the veteran all-rounder, were included as the overseas players in the SRH eleven in the match against Kings XI Punjab, making it the first occasion of two Associate Nation players being part of an IPL team's playing XI.

Nabi, known for his explosive batting, did not get to do much with the bat, but he did fare well with the ball - conceding only 28 runs from his four overs while picking up the crucial wicket of Eoin Morgan. The 32-year-old, introduced into the attack in the fifth over of KXIP's chase of 160, was put under pressure straight away as the England limited-overs skipper greeted him with a pull over the ropes for a maximum. Nabi though did not let the pressure get the better of him as he stuck to disciplined lines and reaped the reward for it.

"It was my debut match, I was a bit under pressure playing. There will be some pressure when you're playing your first game. I got hit for a six off my first ball and that led to more pressure. We had scored 10-15 runs less than what we were hoping for. After being hit for a six, I just wanted to bowl wicket to wicket and make sure to keep it to singles. But I am pleased that I could comeback and pick up a crucial wicket for the team. I hope to do better if I get a chance in the coming games," Nabi told Bhuvneshwar Kumar, in an interactive session on IPLT20.com.

Rashid, who had picked up eight wickets in the four matches before this game, did not have the best of starts with the ball as Manan Vohra took the attack to him in the final over of powerplay, scoring two fours and a six. The legspinner, however, proved his mettle by sending back David Miller and Wriddhiman Saha in the space of three deliveries to leave KXIP staring down the barrel.

"I was a bit nervous when I went for runs in my first over, but I had self-belief that I will come back stronger, especially with the field spread out. I knew that I bowled loose when I was hit for big shots, and I wanted to focus on bowling to the wicket and according to the field," Rashid said during the interaction.

"Every time I come to bowl, I try to out-think the batsman. If I feel the batsman is expecting a leg-break, I bowl a googly and try to out-think them. Dot balls are very important in T20s. I try to bowl as many dots as possible and that help me pick up the wickets," he added.

Although the Afghanistan bowlers did a fine job and left KXIP with an arduous task, a brilliant knock from Vohra ensured that the game went down to the wire. With a belligerent 95, he almost single-handedly took KXIP across the finish line, bringing the equation down to 16 off 12. However, a terrific bowling performance from Bhuvneshwar ensured that Vohra's exceptional knock went in vain as the SRH seamer picked up 5 for 19, including the wicket of Vohra in the penultimate over, to settle the nerves in the SRH camp.

"When the last over started, with 11 required off 6 balls, two wides were also bowled, we felt a bit of pressure. Manan Vohra batted brilliantly and almost won it single-handedly. You (Bhuvneshwar) were brilliant with the ball at the death and changed the face of the game in the end," said Nabi, lavish in his praise of Bhuvneshwar.

Bhuvneshwar, meanwhile, downplayed his part, crediting a collective effort for SRH's third victory in five matches that helped them move up to the third position in the points table. "It was a satisfying performance by the entire bowling unit. I did pick five wickets, but I won't say we won the match because of only that. Everyone pitched in with good performances, Nabi bhai did well, Rashid bowled well, It was a team effort. In such matches, you tend to worry about bowling well at the death, worry whether the catches will stick. The wicket was not easy to bat. Warner's knock, his six in the last over and Rashid's six, I think those were game-changing for us.

"There wasn't much pressure on me because I have bowled in such situations. I was mentally prepared to bowl the second last over and I had a clear plan when I ran to bowl. Vohra almost took the game away from us but I knew what I had to do while bowling to him. It was a good team effort. Sunrisers are known for their bowling strength and defending low totals. Tonight was just an example of that and it was a complete team effort," Bhuvneshwar concluded.