IPL 2020: Bairstow, Rashid shine as SRH beat KXIP to clinch their third biggest win

Jonny Bairstow and Rashid Khan were stand out performers as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) defeated Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) by 69 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 on Thursday.

Chasing SRH's target of 202, KXIP were bowled out for 132 runs with 3.1 overs to spare. With the comprehensive victory in the match that took place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, SRH claimed their third biggest win in terms of runs in the IPL. Their top two biggest wins in the league were the 118-run triumph over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2019 and 85-run win over Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2016.

After winning the toss, SRH captain David Warner opted to bat. In the first over, which was bowled by Sheldon Cottrell, Warner took 13 runs and set the tone for the Orange Army. In the next three overs, SRH added another 28 runs and at the end of the powerplay overs, SRH had 58 runs on the board, which was their highest powerplay score this season after the 56 they had scored in their first six overs against MI.

Warner and Bairstow put up 160 runs for the opening partnership and with that, the duo now holds the record for the joint fastest to 1000-run stand alongside Virat Kohli-Chris Gayle in the IPL. While Bairstow got out for 97 runs from 55 balls, Warner scored 40-ball 52. It was Warner's 50th 50-plus score in the IPL. He now has eight 50-plus scores more than the tournament's leading run-scorer – Kohli. SRH's last six century-stands have been scored by Warner and Bairstow, which have come since 2019 when the England national joined SRH.

KXIP's leg-spinner Ravi 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.

During the chase, KXIP had a terrible start when their opening batsman Mayank Agarwal got run out, courtesy of Warner's excellent effort on the field. KXIP lost their No.3 batsman Simran Singh in the fifth over at 31 for 2. West Indian all-rounder Nicholas Pooran played a stunning knock as he hammered the deliveries all over the park. He struck seven sixes and five boundaries before Rashid Khan sent him back to the pavilion and thereby brought SRH back into the driver's seat.

Rashid finished with figures of 3 for 12 in his quota of four overs, but it was Bairstow who was awarded the Man of the Match. With a third win in six matches, SRH have climbed up to No. 3 in the IPL 2020 points table, while Rahul-led KXIP remained at the bottom of the table, having bagged just one victory in six games.

After a two-day break, Warner's SRH take on Rajasthan Royals at the same venue in Dubai. Meanwhile, KXIP will travel to Abu Dhabi to face off against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Saturday.