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Kings XI add to Sunrisers’ misery
IPL-7: Kings XI Beat Sunrisers, Kings XI Punjab consolidated their position as the front-runners for the IPL title as they defeated a spirited Sunrisers Hyderabad in their own backyard in a high-scoring encounter at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium here on Wednesday.
Hyderabad: Kings XI Punjab consolidated their position as the front-runners for the Indian Premier League (IPL) title as they defeated a spirited Sunrisers Hyderabad in their own backyard in a high-scoring encounter at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium here on Wednesday.
Chasing a mammoth 206-run target, man of the match Wriddhiman Saha (54 of 26 balls) and Manan Vohra (44 from 17) got the Kings off to one of the best starts in IPL history after losing Virender Sehwag on the second ball. They added 91 runs in just 41 balls for the second wicket to take the visitors past the 100-run mark in only 7.3 overs.
The spinners, Karn Sharma and Amit Mishra, managed to put the skids on the quick-scoring Kings between the 10 and 15 overs. Karn got Saha in the seventh over and Vohra followed him to the dugout just a couple of overs later.
Glenn Maxwell skied one off Mishra soon after and it looked like the Sunrisers were coming back in the match in their typical fashion. But their joy was short-lived as Amit Mishra over stepped on the most crucial delivery of the match to give Maxwell a lifeline on 23. Sunrisers’ trump card Dale Steyn had a forgettable match as he was mercilessly thrashed all over by almost everyone at the crease. His four overs cost a staggering 51.
Visiting team skipper George Bailey (35) and David Miller (24) targeted his 18th over scoring 22 runs to remove the last bit of comeback hope of the host.
The loss to Kings XI Punjab puts the Sunrisers in a dicey situation. Added with the agony of a poor run-rate, they need to win all of their remaining four matches to book a berth in the play-offs.
Earlier, being put in to bat, the crowds were entertained by a classic Shikhar Dhawan (45) innings as he tore apart Rishi Dhawan in the fourth over to score 26 runs that laid the foundation for a solid 205 for five wickets. Aaron Finch fell early but wicket-keeper Naman Ojha, promoted up the order, rose to the occasion with an unbeaten 79 that came from a mere 36 balls.
