Faf du Plessis slammed 30 off 21 balls to help the Pune Supergiants to a 34-run eclipse of the Sunrisers.
He picked up three fours and two sixes off 21 balls, alongside Steve Smith, who went on to 46 off 36 before rain ended the match and brought Duckworth-Lewis into play. Their partnership of 80 off eight overs put the result beyond doubt.
It had been free rein after the Sunrisers had been dismissed for a paltry 118-8 and the Supergiants were 94-3 when play stopped.
No one would have seen this coming. The rain which delayed the start may have altered the conditions slightly, but not to the extent that the Sunrisers, who were on a roll of three wins out of three, were 5-32 in the ninth over.
Four of those wickets went to the prodigious swing generated by Mitchell Marsh – in for Albie Morkel – and Ashok Dinda.
Shikhar Dhawan made a heroic stand, ending unbeaten on 52 off 53 balls. He was given some support by Naman Ojha (18) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (21 off 8) but it was nowhere near enough.
The Supergiants needed this. With four losses in five matches, the pressure was on. They live to fight another day.
Photo: BCCI
