IPL 2020, SRH vs KXIP: David Warner achieves IPL record ahead of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain David Warner became the first player in the Indian Premier League (IPL) to score 50 fifty-plus scores. He achieved the feat in the match against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

Warner now has eight 50-plus scores more than Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli, who is at 42. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star Suresh Raina (39), Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Rohit Sharma (39), RCB batsman AB de Villiers (38), and Delhi's Shikhar Dhawan (37) are well behind the Australian at the moment.

With this fifty, Warner has now registered his ninth consecutive half-century in the IPL against KXIP. Warner has also registered seven consecutive 50-plus scores against RCB, which came between 2014 and 2016, and five straight 50-plus scores against CSK between 2014 and 2019.

On Thursday, Warner was finally dismissed for 52 off 40 after he put up 160 with Jonny Bairstow for the first wicket for SRH. The partnership certainly gave SRH not just a bright start, but a terrific chance of going on to get a big score. Bairstow missed out on his IPL career's second century as he was sent back to the pavilion for 97 in the 16th over. When it looked like SRH would post a big total, KXIP's leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi not only broke the opening stand but also dismissed both the set openers.

Bishnoi removed both Warner and Bairstow in the same over and brought KXIP back into the game. SRH's middle-order once again got exposed as Manish Pandey once again failed to deliver, while Abdul Samad got out after hitting a four. In the end, Kane Williamson and Abhishek Sharma bagged 26 runs off the final two overs and ensured SRH reached a respectable total of 201 for 6 in 20 overs.

Bairstow and Warner have now climbed to No. 4 and No. 4 in the IPL 2020 points table, having scored 241 and 227 runs respectively in six innings each. KXIP captain KL Rahul is currently the Orange Cap holder this season with 302 runs in five innings at an average of 75.50. While KXIP are rooted to the foot of the table with just two points, SRH are two places above them at sixth.