Sunrisers Hyderabad’s top three of David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan, and Kane Williamson all scored half-centuries as the defending champions defeated Kings XI Punjab by 26 runs at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Friday.
Put into bat first, the Sunrisers got off to a great start as Warner and Dhawan made their intent clear from early on in the innings. The duo notched up their fifth hundred-run stand together as they managed 107 runs in the first 10 overs.
While Warner was dismissed for a 27-ball 51 [four fours and four sixes], Dhawan’s stay at the crease was a bit longer as the Indian opener managed 77 runs from 48 deliveries [nine fours and one six].
Kane Williamson was on hand to deliver some big hits towards the end as the Hyderabad-based franchise finished their innings on 207-3 with the New Zealand skipper scoring 54 from 27 balls, which included four fours and two sixes.
Surprisingly, the most successful bowler for the hosts was captain Glenn Maxwell. In his four overs, the Australian cricketer picked up two wickets and conceded 29 runs which is a very respectable number when you consider that this was a high-scoring game.
In reply, Martin Guptill – playing in his first match of the season – got Punjab off to a quick start, but his innings was cut short by Bhuvneshwar Kumar on 23 [from 11 balls].
Back on one of his favourite grounds, Shaun Marsh was at it once again as he played a brilliant innings to give the Kings XI some hopes of a victory. During his 50-ball 84, he was dropped twice, but he looked in fluent touch throughout which is a huge positive for Maxwell and co.
It was Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan who kept a lid on Punjab’s scoring rate in the middle overs. In a game where 388 runs were scored across 40 overs, Rashid conceded just 16 runs and took the wicket of Eoin Morgan in his four overs, for which he was named the Player of the Match.
Pacers Ashish Nehra and Siddarth Kaul also made big contributions with the ball as they took three wickets each for Warner’s side.
The Sunrisers now have 11 points from nine matches and remain at the third spot on the table while the Kings XI have a tough task on their hands as they have gathered just six points from eight matches.
BRIEF SCORES
Sunrisers Hyderabad 207/3, 20 overs [Dhawan 77, Williamson 54*, Warner 51, Maxwell 2-29] beat Kings XI Punjab 181/9, 20 overs [Marsh 84, Kaul 3-36, Nehra 3-42] by 26 runs.
Player of the Match – Rashid Khan
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