The second encounter of Super Saturday in Week 7 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) witnessed Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at loggerheads with Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) at Dubai.
After a riveting 40 overs of cricketing action, it was the SRH side who won the low-scoring thriller. SRH skipper David Warner won the toss and did not hesitate to bat first.
KXIP captain KL Rahul (27), along with Mandeep Singh (17) gave a confident start to their team. Chris Gayle’s run-a-ball knock of 20 runs, put KXIP to a comfortable position, after the loss of Mandeep’s wicket.
At one point in time, KXIP were cruising at 66-1 at the midway stage, gearing up for the final onslaught with wickets in hand.
However, the game took a drastic turn with the introduction of Rashid Khan (2/14) and Jason Holder (2/27). By the 15 overs, KXIP were reduced to 88-5, with the loss of Deepak Hooda’s wicket.
During the middle overs, SRH bowler strung in some exceptional overs without conceding any boundaries.
Barring Nicholas Pooran (32 off 28), none of the batters looked at ease in the middle. The West Indies’ wicketkeeper-batsman took Punjab to a par score of 126/7 in 20 overs.
Rashid, Holder and Sandeep Sharma (2/29) were the pick of the bowlers for SRH as they shared a couple of wickets each.
The target of 127 appeared to be a cakewalk when openers Warner (35 off 20) and Jonny Bairstow (19 off 20) were batting in the middle. By the seventh over SRH were cruising towards the target, with 56 on the board and no wickets lost.
Similar to KXIP’s batting efforts, SRH lost three quick wickets in the middle overs and were reduced to 67/3, with the loss of Abdul Samad’s wicket.
Manish Pandey (15 off 29) and Vijay Shankar, (26 off 27) with their reliable partnership, threatened to repeat their heroics against Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Moreover, the game took a drastic turn after the wicket of Pandey. From 100-3, SRH were bundled out for 114. They lost seven wickets within a space of 14 overs and four overs.
Smart bowling from Arshdeep Singh (3/23) and Chris Jordan (3/17), choked the Sunrisers to the point where they capitulated under pressure. Both picked three wickets each in their spell.
Mohammad Shami (1/34), Ravi Bishnoi (1/13) and Murugan Ashwin (1/27) all contributed with their decisive spells and were rewarded with a wicket each.
KXIP continued their winning streak with a comfortable 12 run win, in the end.
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