Dubai: Jonny Bairstow shone with the bat with a 97-run knock before star leg-spinner Rashid Khan snared three wickets in an impressive bowling display to guide Sunrisers Hyderabad to a comfortable 69-run win over Kings XI Punjab in an IPL match here on Thursday.
Bairstow and captain David Warner (52) took the opposition bowlers to the cleaners with a 160-run opening stand as SRH scored an imposing 201 for six after opting to bat, even though KXIP made a brilliant comeback by taking six wickets in the final five overs.
The England wicketkeeper batsman hit seven fours and six sixes during his 55-ball knock, while Warner consumed 40 balls for his 52 to set up SRH’s third win from six matches. KXIP made amends of their woeful death overs bowling by conceding just 41 runs in the last five overs and taking six wickets in the process with leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi (3/29) triggering the collapse but that could not stop SRH from crossing the 200-run mark.
Chasing a stiff target of 202, KXIP were all out for 132 in 16.5 overs to slump to their fifth defeat — and fourth on the trot — in six matches to remain at the bottom of the points table.
Rashid Khan was the most impressive SRH bowler as he returned with figures of 3/12 from his four overs.
Only Nicholas Pooran (77 off 37 balls; 5 fours and 7 sixes) gave a fight for KXIP with his maiden half century and the season’s fastest fifty — off just 17 balls. He hit six fours — three of them on the trot — to take 28 runs off a hapless Abdul Samad. KXIP made a disastrous start to their run chase as they lost two wickets inside five overs.
In-form Mayank Agarwal (9) was run out in a horrible mix-up with his captain KL Rahul (11) in the second over itself, while Prabhsimran Singh looked promising for a while but got out for 11.
Rahul played second fiddle to his partners, looking to anchor the innings but he failed in doing that as he was out in the eighth over, hitting straight to the safe hands of Kane Williamson in the deep.
Glenn Maxwell’s struggle continued as he was run out for seven, courtesy a brilliant direct throw from Priyam Garg. Earlier, KXIP bowlers did not have a clue how to break the partnership of Bairstow and Warner till the 15th over. At that stage, SRH were 160 for no loss.
Bishnoi then removed both Bairstow and Warner in the space of three balls in the 16th over before Arshdeep Singh (2/33) dismissed Manish Pandey for 1 in the next over to trigger a brilliant turnaround. Williamson remained not out on 20 off 10 balls.
Bairstow was dropped on 19 in the fifth over by KXIP skipper Rahul off the bowling of Mohammed Shami and he made them pay for the mistake.
He was clearly the dominant partner of the opening duo, reaching his third fifty of the season in 28 balls in the 10th over at the end of which SRH were 100 for no loss. Warner reached his third fifty of the tournament in the 14th over but got out in the first ball of the 16th over when he miscued a slog sweep to Glenn Maxwell at long-on off Bishnoi.
Three balls later, Bairstow departed after Rahul opted to review the field umpire’s decision and the third umpire ruled the England wicketkeeper batsman out LBW. (PTI)
