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Warner takes Sunrisers to huge score

Hosts post 194/5 against RCB
Last Updated 30 April 2016, 20:04 IST

 Just how crucial David Warner is to Sunrisers Hyderabad’s batting fortunes was underlined once again as the left-hander blasted his way to a 50-ball 92 (9x4, 5x6) that propelled the hosts to an impressive 194 for five against Royal Challengers Bangalore in their IPL-9 match here on Saturday.

Though the city of Hyderabad sizzled at over 40 degrees in the day, dark clouds and windy conditions provided some relief from the heat in the evening. As the evening wore on, it began to drizzle and soon there was a heavy shower. The fans, however, braved it all and filled the stadium to the brims, the first full house of this season here at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium. Good news was in store for nearly 33,000 spectators when the match began at 9.00 pm, an hour behind the schedule but without any reduction in the number of overs.

Virat Kohli won a rare toss and it was a no brainer that he opted to bowl first given the overcast conditions. The Royal Challengers effected four changes to their squad from their previous match against Gujarat Lions, packing their side with as many as five specialist bowlers, excluding Shane Watson, in a bid to bolster their weaker department. There was no place for Chris Gayle.

For the first five overs of Sunrisers’ innings, the script played out to Challengers’ liking as they conceded no more than 33 runs and managed to prise out Shikhar Dhawan. Warner, however, decided to write his own tale as he clobbered Harshal Patel for 16 runs in the final over of power play. Harshal didn’t get to bowl again and perhaps it will be a while, if at all, before he will get another chance this season.

This was the catalyst that Sunrisers needed to help themselves to a total that even Royal Challengers would find intimidating. Well aware of the brittle state of his team’s middle-order, Warner kept himself busy without trying to be too adventurous. He was cautious and took calculated risk till about half-way through his innings.

He found an able ally in Kane Willamson (50, 38b, 7x4) who was happy to give majority of the strike to his senior partner and watch him unleash the mayhem. Sunrisers were just under eight runs an over till the 11th over as they consolidated their innings. But the tide changed from then onwards as the two Ws took apart RCB bowling in contrasting styles. Where Warner was all power and brute force, Williamson’s game was about silken drives and exquisite flicks. Together they added 124 runs for the second wicket in just 74 balls to put Sunrisers on way to  a big score. While Warner spared no one as such, he was particularly severe against fellow Australian Kane Richardson who leaked 19 runs in one over and was carted around for 29 off just nine by the home team’s skipper. Williamson, playing his first match of the season, too played a good hand, picking runs off an otherwise parsimonious Shane Watson.

This was Warner’s fifth half-century of the season in seven innings and with 386 runs, he sits atop the batting charts with Orange cap. The southpaw was unlucky to miss out on a well-deserved hundred but he had done enough damage by the time he departed. The dismissals of Warner, Williamson and Naman Ojha threatened another batting implosion by the hosts but Moises Henriques (31, 14b, 1x4, 3x6) produced a brutal cameo that may well have given Sunrisers a winning target.

Hyderabad beat RCB by 15 runs

Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by 15 runs in their IPL-9 match on Sunday.

Chasing 194, RCB managed 179/6 in their 20 overs. Karnataka’s KL Rahul top scored with 51 of 28 balls for the Challengers.

 score board

SUNRISERS HYDERABAD: David Warner c de Villiers b Shamsi 92 (50b, 9x4, 5x6), Shikhar Dhawan c & b Richardson 11 (11b, 2x4), Kane Williamson c Rahul b Watson 50 (38b, 7x4), Moises Henriques (not out) 31 (14b, 1x4, 3x6), Naman Ojha c de Villiers b Richardson 1 (3b), Deepak Hooda (run out) 2 (2b), Ashish Reddy (not out) 2 (3b). Extras (B-1, W-3, NB-1) 5. Total (for 5 wkts, 20 overs) 194.

Fall of wickets: 1-28 (Dhawan), 2-152 (Warner), 3-160 (Williamson), 4-161 (Ojha), 5-190 (Hooda).

Bowling: Kane Richardson 4-0-45-2, Shane Watson 4-0-33-1 (w-1), Parvez Rasool 4-0-33-0, Varun Aaron 3-0-27-0, Harshal Patel 1-0-16-0 (nb-1, w-1), Tabraiz Shamsi 4-0-39-1.

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(Published 30 April 2016, 19:46 IST)

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