The Sunrisers Hyderabad enhanced their position at the top of the log with a five-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata.
The Sunrisers restricted a lacklustre Riders team to just 138-8 with tight bowling and good fielding, and at an RRR of under seven an over, they were never pressed in attaining their third successive victory.
Kane Williamson led the way with a well-worked 50 off 44 balls. His calm control kept the Sunrisers on track when they fell from 32-0 after three overs to 55-3 after nine. The Black Caps captain and Shakib Al Hasan (27 off 21) added 59 for the fourth wicket in seven overs.
Williamson will rue his soft dismissal as he clipped a ball from Mitchell Johnson to square leg immediately after reaching his fifty with the score on 119-5. It was left to Yusuf Pathan to see the Sunrisers home, smacking two fours and a six among the seven balls he faced for 17.
The Knight Riders struggled to their 138, with only Australian Chris Lynn making an effort, top-scoring with 49 off 34 balls after they were sent in to bat. The next best was 29 from captain Dinesh Karthik, and below him, the best mustered was 18.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the leading bowler with 3-26. The Riders might have a claim that an hour’s stoppage for rain interrupted their rhythm, for they were 49-1 at the end of the powerplay. No overs were lost, so there was no added pressure, but they lost wickets regularly, without any partnerships developing.
