Sunrisers Hyderabad openers Jonny Bairstow (97, 55b, 7x4, 6x6) and David Warner (52, 40b, 5x4, 1x6) went on the rampage with a 160-run stand, but the middle-order frittered away the advantage as the team finished at 201 for six against Kings XI Punjab at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday.
Sunrisers pulled into gear right from the start as Sheldon Cottrell leaked 13 in the first over. Bairstow smashed three boundaries — through cover-point, extra-cover and square-leg — in Cottrell’s next over.
K.L. Rahul, who is not donning the big gloves these days, dropped Bairstow on 19 off Mohammed Shami in the fifth over. The Kings XI captain’s full-length dive at mid-off was not enough to stop the flat-batted stroke. The missed chance seemed to have fired up Bairstow who went on to hit three sixes off leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi.
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Perfect pair
While the Englishman was ruthless, his Australian partner kept the scoreboard ticking with quick singles and two, and the odd fours. Warner also employed his ambidextrous improvisations, tweaking the switch-hit stance a little wide and playing a cut shot like a right-hander off Glenn Maxwell’s bowling, evoking a smile from the bowler. The SRH skipper, who has a special liking for Kings XI, made his ninth half-century against the Punjab side.
Rahul looked clueless as Sunrisers motored along at more than 10 an over. He threw the ball to Maxwell, hoping that the off-spinner will peg back the openers. However, Maxwell was hit for two consecutive sixes and a four and conceded 20 runs. Kings XI pulled things back in the 16th over. The 20-year-old Bishnoi forced Warner to miscue a slog-sweep off a googly and Maxwell, stationed at long-on, didn’t even have to move to receive the offering. Three balls later, Bishnoi trapped Bairstow in front.
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Left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh, playing his first game of the season, then caught and bowled Manish Pandey while Priyam Garg was caught by Nicholas Pooran at long-on. Abdul Samad was Bishnoi’s third wicket, the leggie finishing with figures of three for 29 in three overs and ensuring that all was not lost for Kings XI.
Kings 96 for three
Kings were 96 for three in 10 overs, with Pooran (58) and Maxwell (5) at the crease. Mayank (9), Prabsimran (11) and Rahul (11) were dismissed