Hyderabad, Apr 8: In a game which went down to the wire, and into the Super Over, the first in the sixth edition of the league, Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by five runs in the T20 league at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal.
In the Super Over, Cameron White and Thisara Perera took 20 runs off Vinay Kumar with White hitting two sixes. In reply, Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli could get only 15 off Dale Steyn to trigger wild celebrations in the arena.
It was another low-scoring game at this ground despite the two captains, Kumar Sangakkara and Virat Kohli, feeling that the wicket was batsman-friendly. It didn't turn out that way as RCB could only get 130/8 after batting first.
Chasing the modest target, the hosts made heavy weather of the task and also finished at 130, losing seven wickets. Under-19 World Cup-winning team member Hanuma Vihari almost took them past the post but could only run one bye when the team needed two off the last ball of the final over, bowled by Vinay Kumar.
Sangakkara's decision to bat lower down at No. 5, seemed to be a masterstroke as he wanted to be around when Muttiah Muralitharan came into bowl. But he could score just 16 before Jaydev Unadkat got him out caught behind to turn the game.
Unadkat also dismissed the hard-hitting Thisara Perera for 8 with a wonderful slower delivery. Vihari, who had earlier dismissed Chris Gayle caught behind for 1 off his first delivery in the tournament, scored a heroic unbeaten 44 in 46 balls.
Kings XI Punjab trounce Pune by 8 wickets
Pune, Apr 8: Pune Warriors found their losing streak too hard to break as they crashed to their 11th consecutive defeat in the franchise-based T20 league, an eight-wicket pummeling by Kings XI Punjab at the Gahunje stadium on Sunday.
Adam Gilchrist's side outplayed the hosts in every department of the game. A disciplined bowling performance backed by sharp fielding helped Preity Zinta's franchise restrict the Warriors to 99-9.That was bad omen.
Gilchrist drove the first ball of the innings from Bhuvneshwar Kumar for four.Another four and a trademark clip off the pads into the square-leg stands amounted to 14 runs from the over.
The contest was over then and there, effectively. But Punjab's best was yet to come. The young combine of Mandeep Singh and Manan Vohra clinically dismantled the Warriors bowling while adding 58 runs from 44 balls for the second wicket.
Mandeep's belligerent 31 and debutant Vohra's unbeaten 43 saw the Mohali franchise romp home with 46 balls to spare.
Nothing went right for Pune, except for the turn of the coin. The hosts had suffered a setback even before the match began with Yuvraj Singh being ruled out with a back injury.
On the pitch, Manish Pandey's poor form continued with a four-ball duck as he played Praveen Kumar in the very first over.
The innings continued to stutter with none of the batsmen anchoring the innings. The only exception was Abhishek Nayar (25 n.o.) who, coming in at No. 7, ran out of able partners.
At least in the previous two seasons, the Warriors began the campaign on a winning note. Not this time. On the other hand, Kings XI couldn't have asked for a better start.
The emphasis on youth meant there was spring in the footsteps generally. Their electrifying fielding, capped by a lunging catch by Gurkeerat Singh Mann to dismiss Ross Taylor at fine-leg, easily helped save at least 20 runs.
The batting, too, promises a lot. If it was Paul Valthaty last season who proved to be the team's find, it could be Mandeep and Vohra this year.The duo, who play for the same state in domestic cricket, plundered five boundaries of an Ashok Dinda over to push the score to 44 for one in four overs.
Comments
Add new comment