Mumbai: SunRisers Hyderabad kept their play-off hopes alive by pulling off a well-deserved seven-run victory over Rajasthan Royals in a rousing IPL cricket contest that went to the wire at the Brabourne Stadium here on Thursday.
Riding on contrasting fifties from Shikhar Dhawan (54) and Eoin Morgan (68 off 28 balls), SRH posted a mammoth 201 for 4 in 20 overs.
Chasing the formidable target, Royals lost in-form batsman Ajinkya Rahane (8) cheaply but a superb innings of 68 from Steve Smith brought them back in contention. And then a late-order flourish from James Faulkner (30), Sanju Samson (21) and Chris Morris (34 not out) brought the hosts in touching distance of victory, which was not to be.
Morris threatened to take the game away with a flurry of three sixes in the 19th over bowled by Praveen Kumar (0-40) before Bhuvaneshwar Kumar (3-44) stopped Royals short in the last over, in which they needed 18 runs.
Put in to bat, SunRisers were off to a fine start with Dhawan and captain David Warner (24) stitching together a 48-run stand.
It got broken in the fifth over when Warner edged his compatriot and opposite number Shane Watson (2-36) to wicket-keeper Sanju Samson.
Morgan hit Watson for a huge six before Dhawan slog-swept off-spinner Deepak Hooda (0-34) over the ropes to raise his 50 in 33 balls, while the team total swelled by 14 runs in that over.
Thanks to Morgan, the visiting team was able to muster 68 runs in the last five overs and post their first plus-200 total of the tournament and fifth overall, in which Royal Challengers Bangalore have two to their credit.
Chasing the imposing score, Royals were pegged back when the tournament’s leading run getter Rahane departed for 8 off the sixth ball by edging Bhuvaneshwar to keeper Naman Ojha.
Karun Nair, who came in at no. 4 behind Smith, could not replicate the way he had batted when scoring a half century against Delhi at this ground four days ago and chased an out-swinger to be caught behind off Henriques that left Royals a mountain to climb at 45 for 3 in the 8th over.
Despite some later order hitting by Faulkner, Samson and most importantly by Morris, who brought down the target drastically in the penultimate over, but Royals fell short in the end. (PTI)
