Ranchi, May 23: Buoyed by one of the best knocks in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2014 in David Warner‘s stunning 90, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) made light weather of a massive target set by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 50th match of the tournament. Warner was ably supported by Shikhar Dhawan at the start where he played a sheet anchor’s role and carried on from all the good of his in-form teammate had put to steer his team to a comfortable six wicket win.
Earlier Chennai Dwayne Smith‘s early blitzkrieg and solid middle order performances by David Hussey and MS Dhoni propelled Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to a formidable 185 for three after being asked to bat by Hyderabad on a Ranchi wicket that didn’t show any demons.
After Chennai scored a massive 185 for three after being put into bat by Hyderabad, Warner got the visitors off to a flying start with two hard-hitting boundaries in the first over of Mohit Sharma. The Australian opener spanked the first ball when he was offered width and was trashed on the off-side. The second boundary was down the ground and the fielders had no chance and signs were ominous.
Warner caused further damage off Ravichandran Ashwin’s first over with a huge six over the bowler’s head and repeated the same a few deliveries later. This time the result was a boundary. Mohit continued and some ordinary bowling saw some spanking shots on the off side.
Young Australian cricketer of the year John Hastings came into the attack and Warner went after him as well. First the bowler sprayed on the leg side and ball went to the boundary and more bad balls from Hastings meant more damage and a total of extraordinary five boundaries came of the over. It was a nightmarish start for Hastings in the IPL. Looking uninterested and depleted, Warner was fully capitalising on the lax effort by the home team and the score raced to 64 for none in just six overs.
The spinners were surprisingly poor and Ravindra Jadeja in particular was singled out for some special treatment by Warner and he brought his fifty in just 25 balls. The carnage did not stop there and Warner still found gaps at will and looked poised to score a century. Just then Chennai found an unlikely hero in Hastings when the power-hitting Australian cut the ball onto his stumps. Dhawan took off from where Warner left and went after the slower bowlers. It was apparent that Chennai was missing Ben Hilfenhaus’s presence and even Naman Ojha got on to the act with a huge six. Dhoni’s bowling changes were uninspiring and it could well do with the lack of options available at his disposal. Ojha departed towards the end, trying one big hit too many and Aaron Finch went back to the pavilion of a rather silly run-out.
Looking for the elusive big hit, even skipper Darren Sammy departed after a fine catch at long on by Faf du Plessis and Venugaopal Rao put an end to the stretched nature of proceedings by lofting Jadeja down the ground to inflict Chennai their third consecutive loss.
Brief scores:
Chennai Super Kings 185 for 3 in 20 overs (Dwayne Smith 47, David Hussey 50*, MS Dhoni 57*; Karn Sharma 2 for 19) lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad 189 for 4 (David Warner 90, Shikhar Dhawan 64*, Naman Ojha 19 ; Suresh Raina 1 for 17) by 6 wickets.
Man of the Match: David Warner
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KKR piggyback Uthappa, Narine to eliminate RCB
Robin Uthappa's irrepressible form was extended into an eighth consecutive match as Kolkata Knight Riders became the third team to seal passage to the IPL play-offs, courtesy a 30-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore at Eden Gardens in game one of Thursday's double-header. Uthappa reeled off his fifth fifty of the season, in the process eclipsing Glenn Maxwell's tally of 533 runs to take the Orange Cap, and was matched by an attacking Shakib Al Hasan who scored a 38-ball 60 in KKR's 191 for 5.
RCB lost Chris Gayle early again and were always behind a rising asking rate, and once Sunil Narine struck twice in the 13th over the match was officially over as a contest. It was KKR's sixth win on the trot and they now have 16 points, same as Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings. Defeat has signalled the end of the road for RCB, leaving one of Rajasthan Royals (14), Sunrisers Hyderabad (10) and Mumbai Indians (10) to claim the fourth and final play-off spot open.
KKR winning has become equated with runs from Uthappa's bat and this was another excellent innings from the in-form opener. He had to bide his time initially while shelving his eye-catching strokes after RCB nipped out Gautam Gambhir and Manish Pandey inside four overs and Yusuf Pathan ran himself out needlessly after clattering two quick sixes.
He crawled to 13 off 13 balls during the Powerplay and didn't hit a boundary until the eighth over, but that lofted drive off Yuzvendra Chahal gave Uthappa the confidence to play his shots. In the following seven balls faced he hit three fours and a six, moving into the forties for the eighth time in a row. The Orange Cap came his way with a deft steer to third man for four and a half-century came moments later.
Uthappa found the required support from Shakib with whom he put on 121 in 70 balls. Shakib was strongest when hitting down the ground and didn't shy away from attacking RCB's spinners, especially Chahal who he clouted for three sixes and a four in the 15th over. Shakib's first half-century in the IPL needed just 32 deliveries. Uthappa finished 83 not out off 51 balls, his best score of the season. RCB's three-pronged spin attack conceded 90 in eight overs.
KKR had twice previously successfully defended scores in excess of 190 against RCB and Thursday became the hat-trick. Needing to chase at 9.85 per over before a ball was bowled, RCB weren't helped by another poor show from Gayle who was lbw to Umesh Yadav in the second over. Takawale and Virat Kohli put on 85 in 10.3 overs with a mixture of sweetly-timed shots (Kohli) and hard-handed drags and swipes (Takawale) but neither really threatened to impose himself. With the required rate having crossed 12, a double-strike from Narine removed the two set batsmen.
Kohli failed to keep down a cut and was well held by Morne Morkel at backward point for 38 from 31 balls, and then Takawale chopped onto his stumps for 45 off 36. From 90 for 1 in 12 overs, RCB were 93 with the asking rate 14.71 and two new batsmen at the crease. Hardly the situation anyone would want to walk out too in a must-win match, and Yuvraj Singh and AB de Villiers perished to Narine in the 17th over, giving the spinner excellent figures of 4 for 20. There was nothing left in RCB's tank.
Brief scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 195 for 5 in 20 overs (Robin Uthappa 83*, Shakib Al Hasan 60) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 165 for 5 in 20 overs (Yogesh Takawale 45, Sunil Narine 4/20) by 30 runs
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