Sunrisers shine better, Kings slip further

Warner leads from the front and Boult & Co. do the rest for the visitors.

April 28, 2015 03:02 am | Updated 03:43 am IST - MOHALI:

Skipper David Warner's power hitting at the top of the order ensured that Sunrisers Hyderabad put up a competitive total which eventually proved a winning one. Photo: Akhilesh Kumar

Skipper David Warner's power hitting at the top of the order ensured that Sunrisers Hyderabad put up a competitive total which eventually proved a winning one. Photo: Akhilesh Kumar

It was a night when conventional wisdom went out the window.

Spinners tied the batsmen down on a track covered by grass. Sunrisers Hyderabad struggled throughout its innings and yet scored enough runs. And Kings XI Punjab, for all its batting might, fell hopelessly short of the opposition’s score of 150, 20 runs to be precise.

The mood was expectant on a pleasantly windy night at the PCA Stadium but, in the end, the home team’s fans had to make do with jokes between themselves for entertainment.

Morale-sapping loss

KXIP was expected to coast to victory but it lumbered to a morale-sapping loss.

Five defeats in seven matches suggests this could be a season of sorrow for George Bailey’s side.

SRH, though, can hope for better times as its bowling attack once again demonstrated its better virtues.

There was a hint of rebellion from Wriddhiman Saha and Axar Patel but never did the visitors quake in their boots during KXIP’s innings.

Trent Boult and Bhuvneshwar Kumar rocked the hosts early by removing Manan Vohra and Shaun Marsh respectively.

Both batsmen chose poor shots and dragged the ball onto the stumps. KXIP could only hit a four and, in all, 21 runs in the first five overs.

Praveen Kumar’s introduction in the next over brought momentary relief as 15 came off it; Bailey hit three fours.

However, Karn Sharma and Moises Henriques tightened the noose thereafter.

In fact, the latter removed compatriot Bailey in his first over; five balls later, Vijay was run out following a miscommunication with David Miller.

The South African couldn’t hold out long enough either, but, from 79 for five in 14 overs, Saha and Axar added 37 runs in the next three.

It took Boult to remove both in the 18th over and thereafter, KXIP reconciled to the inevitable.

It was an eventuality that had seemed distant for a major part of the first innings. SRH’s dependence on its openers had been well documented in the lead-up to the match; Shikhar Dhawan’s poorly-executed pull made the fears more prominent.

David Warner, though, remained unfazed. The Australian faced 25 deliveries in the first five overs and scored 45 out of the team’s score of 46, thanks to his nine fours and a six.

The effort was made all the more extraordinary by Sandeep Sharma’s maiden over played out by Warner at the start of the innings.

Stifled by spin

However, the introduction of spinners put the brakes on SRH. M. Vijay, bowling for the first time this season, conceded only 16 off his three overs.

But it was Axar who got the crucial breakthrough as Warner’s attempted swipe over cow-corner landed in the long-on fielder’s hands.

After 50 off 5.1 overs, SRH scored the next 50 off 56 deliveries.

Ashish Reddy’s late charge, though, took Sunrisers to a competitive total.

In the end, it proved to be a comfortable one as well.

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