(ESPNCRICINFO) – Going for the fourth time in as many games, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) finally opened their tally in IPL 2021 as they beat the Punjab Kings by nine wickets in Chennai. Having set a target of 121, David Warner and Jonny Bairstow gave Sunrisers a start of 73 in 10.1 overs. Sunrisers had been winning positions in their last two games as well before potting up. But this time, Kane Williamson’s calm presence ensured Kings never got the smell of victory like Bairstow, who stayed unbeaten on 63 off 56, and took their side home with eight balls to spare. Earlier, Kings opted for matting but were bundled in 19.4 overs. Khaleel Ahmed was the Sunrisers’ most successful bowler, picking up 3 for 23, but spin duo Rashid Khan and Abhishek Sharma injured Kings more, registering combined figures of 3 for 41 from eight overs.
With three losses on the trot, Kings have replaced Sunrisers at the bottom of the points table.
Rashid’s magic leaves Kings in trouble
The day did not start well for Rashid. During the first match of the match, Mayank Agarwal dropped in deep midwicket off Sharma. But soon he did more than make up for that. After Bhuvneshwar Kumar pulled KL Rahul free and Sunrisers limited Kings to 32 for 1 in the powerplay, Rashid was all over the opposition.
First, his low catch in short midwicket sent Agarwal on his way for a 25-ball 22. And when he came on bowling, even Chris Gayle, the only batsman in the Kings lineup to have a positive record against Rashid no clue which way the ball would turn. Gayle thrusts his bat and pad on to a leg break, only to be trapped lbw.
Between those two wickets, Warner directly knocked down Nicholas Pooran, handing his third duck to the batsman in four outs. Pooran didn’t even face a ball this time. After pushing the ball towards extra cover, Gayle called for a quick single but Pooran was late to respond and found it to be quite short.
Coming in at 47 for 4, Moises Henriques attempted to sweep Rashid twice in the first two balls he faced. Both times Rashid punched him on the thigh. Shortly afterwards, Rashid beat him with a googly but Bairstow, as clueless as the batter, failed to stump.
Sharma also shows his tricks
Sharma was unlucky not to get an Agarwal wicket when the batter was at 0, but against one of the prolific opening pairs in the IPL, he conceded just three in the first over. He got the prize for his disciplined bowling when Deepak dismissed Hooda with a spinner in the 12th over.
After a good start, Hooda tried to flick one off but failed to make contact and was lbw at 13. In his next fight, Sharma Henriques deflected in the flight, knocked it over, and on this occasion Bairstow did not any mistake with the stumping. Kings 100 only crossed due to a couple of ridiculous shots of Shahrukh Khan.
Warner, Bairstow is leading the hunt
It wasn’t a scary target but Warner and Bairstow knew that a good start was crucial, especially with the pitch slowing down significantly and offering spinners help.
Kings brought in left-arm spinner Fabian Allen in the second over but Bairstow didn’t let him settle down, choking him for four and six.
In the next match, Bairstow and Warner hit four each from Mohammed Shami. Despite Warner stepping forward while running a ball, Sunrisers had 50 on the board by the end of the powerplay.
Warner hit 37, trying to send Allen a short ball, but Bairstow and Williamson ensured Sunrisers beat the other 48 runs without losing another wicket. Along the way, Bairstow brought up his second fifty in four flyovers, off 48 balls and his slowest in the T20s until now.