Shikhar Dhawan struck 77 off 57 balls as the Sunrisers Hyderabad claimed a nine-wicket win against the Rajasthan Royals at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Monday.
The Royals made a disappointing return to the IPL after a two-year ban.
Dhawan hit 77 off 57 balls and Kane Williamson 36 off 35 balls as they eased past the 126-run target with 25 balls remaining.
It was the perfect decision to bowl first from Williamson, who replaced the banned David Warner as skipper. His bowlers stepped up, restricting the visitors to 125-9.
Williamson’s direct hit to remove D’Arcy Short (four) in the opening over got his side started before Siddarth Kaul (2-17) removed Steve Smith’s captain replacement Ajinkya Rahane (13) in the seventh over.
Billy Stanlake received a roaring ovation from the home fans when he dismissed Ben Stokes (five) in the ninth over, the visitors struggling on 63-3.
The Royals’ innings was held together by 23-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson (49 off 42 balls), but he fell victim to a quick double strike in the 14th over from Shakib Al Hasan (2-23), who dismissed Rahul Tripathi (17 off 15) two balls earlier.
Kaul added pressure when he removed Krishnappa Gowtham for a duck in the 15th over as RR stumbled to 115-7.
Rashid Khan (1-23) proved his worth when Jos Butler (six) bottom-edged a beautifully flighted Googly, which crashed into the stumps in the 18th over.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s knuckleball fooled Shreyas Gopal (18), who attempted to up the scoring rate but was caught by Yusuf Pathan in the deep in the 19th over.
Wriddhiman Saha’s stumping of Jaydev Unadkat (one) from a Pathan throw was the ninth wicket to fall, RR posting 125-9 in 20 overs.
Despite Saha losing his wicket for five in the second over, Dhawan and Williamson’s 121-run partnership sealed the match for the Sunrisers with four overs remaining.
Photo: IPL-BCCI/Website
