An all-round bowling effort from SRH helped them skittle PBKS out for a mere 120. The SRH top three wiped out the chase without any fuss to help their side end a three-match losing streak and record their first win of the season.
Sunrisers Hyderabad put up a clinical show in their fourth game of the season and finally got off the mark. The bowlers did a fantastic job of shooting out Punjab Kings for just 120 as the KL Rahul-led side struggled to come to terms with the sluggish nature of the Chepauk pitch. The SRH top three helped their side to romp home with eight balls to spare.
On a hot Wednesday afternoon and a dry Chepauk pitch, PBKS skipper KL Rahul had absolutely no hesitation in batting first. However, Punjab had a sedate start as they scored just 15 runs in the first three overs. Mayank Agarwal was dropped in the very first over as he almost holed out to Rashid Khan at deep mid-wicket off Abhishek Sharma.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has had a quiet tournament so far, picked up the big wicket of KL Rahul in the fourth over. The Punjab skipper was looking to break free as his side had got just one boundary in the first three overs, and Rahul dragged one straight to mid-wicket.
Chris Gayle’s arrival didn’t change much either. Both Agarwal and Gayle struggled to force the pace and find the boundaries with ease. They hit a couple to finish the powerplay 32/1, but both batters didn’t look comfortable. Punjab received a double blow soon after the powerplay. Agarwal tried hoicking one over the leg-side but ended up miscuing to mid-wicket. Nicholas Pooran was run-out off the very next ball as David Warner hit the stumps direct from covers.
An over later, Rashid Khan pinned Gayle LBW to leave PBKS reeling at 47/4. Deepak Hooda and Moises Henriques tried to resurrect the innings, but Abhishek Sharma came in and dismissed both batsmen in the space of two overs. Shahrukh Khan tried battling hard and struck a couple of sixes, but even he holed out at deep mid-wicket. The lower order couldn’t do much as Punjab crumbled to 120, and they didn’t even bat out the 20 overs as they were bowled out with two balls to spare.
In reply, it seemed all too easy for the SRH openers, David Warner and Jonny Bairstow. While the ball was turning and gripping a bit but PBKS decided to use pace up front, and they travelled the distance. The SRH opening duo got off to a solid start and ensured the 2016 IPL champions didn’t lose early wickets. They put on 50 runs in the first six overs to lay the foundation.
The Warner-Bairstow duo continued milking the bowlers after the powerplay. PBKS finally got a breakthrough in the 11th over as the SRH skipper dragged a short delivery from Fabien Allen to deep mid-wicket. The score was 73 at that stage. SRH were in similar positions before but managed to bottle up games.
However, Kane Williamson, who was playing his first game of the season, brought calmness to the crease. He walked in at No. 3 and rotated strike nicely alongside Bairstow, who found the odd boundary as well. Williamson and Bairstow guided SRH home easily as they shared an unbeaten 48-run stand for the second wicket.
It was the first win of the season for SRH as they broke their chasing hoodoo. Meanwhile, Punjab have now lost three on the bounce and have dropped to the bottom of the points table.
Brief Scores
Punjab Kings 120 allout (Shahrukh 22, Agarwal 22, Khaleel 3/21, Abhishek 2/24) lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad 121/1 (Bairstow 63, Warner 37, Williamson 16, Allen 1/22) by nine wickets
