A deadly combination of express pace from Dale Steyn and quality leg-spin from Amit Mishra, who took three wickets apiece, scripted a winning start for new franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Sunrisers scored a remarkable, 22-run win over Pune Warriors India in the Pepsi-IPL league match at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Friday.
Chasing a target of 127 on a pitch which required sensible stroke selection, Warriors collapsed in two phases.
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First, fast bowler Thisara Perera struck twice early in the innings.
Then, it was the spin of Mishra who bowled a terrific line and length to send back Manish Pandey, Yuvraj Singh and Abishek Nayar in his four-over spell.
In the final overs, once local boy Ashish Reddy cleaned up Ross Taylor, it was Steyn’s turn to ensure that there were no more escape routes as he sent back Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rahul Sharma and Ashoke Dinda in the 19th over.
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Just the kind of dream start Sunrisers were hoping for.
It was a sorry batting display from Warriors who lost the last six wickets for just 21 runs off 18 balls.
Disciplined bowling
Earlier, disciplined bowling by Warriors had restricted the host to a modest 126 for six in 20 overs.
The fireworks were missing right through the innings as pacemen Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Dinda and the spin trio of Marlon Samuels, Yuvraj Singh and leg-spinner Rahul Sharma were spot on.
The fact that there were only nine fours in the first 15 overs of the Sunrisers innings indicates the bowlers’ complete control.