Kane Williamson’s Sunrisers Hyderabad once again showed their resilience when they defended 151 to beat the Rajasthan Royals by 11 runs in Jaipur.
Williamson had led the way with the bat, scoring 63 off 43 balls, to which Ajinkya Rahane replied with unbeaten 65 for the Royals. But it was the battle of the bowlers, as the Sunrisers shaded the Royals.
The batting lineups were remarkably similar: the Royals were 72-2 at the halfway stage while the Sunrisers were 70-1 at the same stage. Rahane though, just could not lift the Royals’ momentum, especially after losing the support of Samson (40) in the 10th over, to carry them over the line. No one else scored more than 11 as they ended on 140-6.
Williamson, who was dropped on 11, provided the input the Sunrisers needed at the halfway stage, taking 21 runs off Jaydev Unadkat, including a six and three fours in the 12th over.
He and Alex Hales (45 off 39 balls) put on 92 for the second wicket in 11 overs and when they went, in successive overs, the Royals were on a roll. The Sunrisers added just 35 for the last five overs, losing four wickets.
As it turned out, it was more than enough.
