Shikhar Dhawan scored an unbeaten 47 to help the Sunrisers Hyderabad to a five-wicket win against the Gujarat Lions.
Needing 127 to win, Sunrisers captain David Warner got his side’s reply off to a blinder, smashing 22 runs in the first two overs before departing at the start of the fourth for 24 runs from 17 balls, with one four and two sixes.
The Sunrisers lost Kane Williamson in the very next over as he punched one to a diving Dwayne Smith at short cover off Praveen Kumar. Williamson managed just six runs from nine balls, hitting one four, as the hosts found themselves on 33-2 in the fifth over.
Moises Henriques and Shikhar Dhawan combined for a 22-run stand before Henriques was sent back to the dugout in the 10th over after edging one off Dwayne Bravo through to wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik.
Yuvraj Singh then made his way to the crease, after returning from injury, but could only muster five runs from 14 balls as he hauled one out to mid-wicket only to be caught by Pradeep Sangwan on the boundary in the 14th over as Dhawal Kulkarni picked up his second wicket. The score then was 81-4.
Next to go was Deepak Hooda (18) as he too edged one through Karthik off Bravo. All the while opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan quietly went about his business, holding down one end, on his way to 47 not out from 40 balls, with six fours, while also surviving two close run-out attempts as the Sunrisers chased down the target with six balls to spare.
Earlier, Australia’s Aaron Finch scored an unbeaten 51 from 42 balls, with three fours and one six, to resurrect the Gujarat Lions innings after the visitors found themselves reeling on 39-4 in the eighth over.
After the first two overs, the Gujarat Lions were yet to get off the mark. They lost their first wicket in the third over as Dwayne Smith (1) drove at one outside off only to find Mustafizur Rahman waiting to take the catch at third man. Next to fall was captain Suresh Raina, who blasted 20 runs from 10 ball with one four and two sixes, as he found himself caught and bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the fifth over.
Dinesh Karthik (0) lost his wicket in the very next over as Kane Williamson took a blinder at backward point as Rahman claimed his second wicket. Brendon McCullum (9) then found himself caught at long-off by David Warner off Moises Henriques.
Finch found assistance by Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja, who both contributed 18 runs, at the bottom end of the innings, as the Lions found their to 126-6 runs from their 20 overs.
Photo: BCCI
