Dubai, Sep 27: Opener Jason Roy and skipper Kane Williamson struck confident half-centuries to shape Sunrisers Hyderbad’s comfortable seven-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals as IPL Play-offs calculations got a bit more complicated, here on Monday.
Opting to bat, the Royals scored 164 for six on the back of a well-calculated 82-run knock by skipper Sanju Samson on a sticky wicket.
However, the score proved insufficient as Roy and Williamson led the team to their only second win of the season.
The loss has dented the Royals’ playoff chances as they remained at the sixth spot with eight points while Sunrisers, who have been ruled out for the playoffs, remained at the bottom of the table.
Now four teams – Kolkata Knight Riders, Punjab Kings, Royals and Mumbai Indians – are tied on eight points each and all are alive in the play-offs race in which CSK and Delhi Capitals are firm favourites for the top two places with 16 points each.
Chasing 165, Roy, playing his first match for Sunrisers, and Wriddhiman Saha (18) raced to 57 for no loss. The two plundered 18 runs off the fifth over, bowled by Chris Morris, that included four fours. The partnership was broken by spinner Mahipal Lomror (1/22).
Williamson and Roy, without taking much risk, continued to milk runs to take Sunrisers to 90 for one with 10 overs.
Williamson and young Abhishek Sharma (21) then led the side over the line.
Earlier, Samson produced his second consecutive fifty after conjuring up an unbeaten 70 against Delhi Capitals on Saturday. The captain sent the ball seven times to the fence and three times over it in his impressive 57-ball innings, with which he became the leading run-scorer (433) of the season, surpassing Delhi Capitals’ Shikhar Dhawan (430). Jaiswal (36) and Mahipal Lomror (29*), were the other two to contributed on a sticky wicket. (PTI)
