Sunrisers Hyderabad register comfortable eight-wicket win vs Royal Challengers Bangalore in Match 8 of IPL 2015
David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan led their way with knocks of 50 and 44 respectively.
David Warner (left) and Shikhar Dhawan scored 57 and 50 respectively © PTI (File Photo)
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) cruised to an eight-wicket victory with 16 balls to spare as they managed to chase down the 167-run target set by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the eighth match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on Monday. Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul were unbeaten on scores of 50 and 44 respectively, with skipper David Warner top-scoring for the side and paving the way for a victory with a whirlwind 27-ball 57. Updates: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
Royal Challengers were earlier restricted to 166 in 19.5 overs, with Trent Boult grabbing three wickets for 36 runs to emerge the pick among the bowlers. AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli scored 46 and 41 respectively, though they were the only bright spots in an otherwise dull performance by the home team. De Villiers's dismissal in the 19th over to Boult signalled the start of a lower-order collapse, as RCB lost their last four wickets for 14 runs. Scorecard: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
SRH were off to a flier, with 36 runs coming off the first two overs itself. While Australian pacer Sean Abbott conceded 16 runs off the first over, including three fours, Warner smashed 20 runs off the following over bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, including three fours and a six. Warner soon blazed his way to his half-century in just 24 balls, his fastest in the IPL. At 82 for no loss in the eighth over, the Sunrisers were looking to glide towards a win as quickly as possible. IPL 2015: Complete Coverage
The hosts managed to pull themselves back into the game briefly as they managed to dismiss Warner and Kane Williamson in a space of a few deliveries, both wickets being taken by Yuzvendra Chahal. While Warner tried to play the tossed up delivery down the line, missing the line completely and getting trapped leg-before, Williamson was stumped by glovesman Dinesh Karthik, who equalled MS Dhoni and Adam Gilchrist for most dismissals as wicketkeeper in IPL (66). The SRH run-rate dropped for a brief bit, with the hopes of the local fans rising steadily with the much-needed dismissals. IPL 2015: Points Table and Team Standings
Dhawan, together with Karnataka batsman KL Rahul, ensured that there were no more hiccups for the Sunrisers for the rest of the match. Dhawan brought up his half-century in 41 balls, while Rahul chipped in with a useful 44 off 28, including four fours and a six, adding an unbroken 78-run stand for the second wicket in the process. Rahul hit the winning six, smashing Varun Aaron over backward square-leg. IPL 2015: Schedule with venue details
Sunrisers Hyderabad will look back at their performance with a sense of satisfaction, with all three departments functioning seamlessly. Warner, who struck his second consecutive half-century in the IPL, will be a force to reckon for the Rajasthan Royals, whom they face next on Thursday. The most improved unit was the bowling department, which unlike their previous game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), were clinical in restricting a powerful batting lineup.
Royal Challengers Bangalore, who pulled off an unlikely victory during their previous encounter against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), will have several worries as they head into their next game, which is against Mumbai Indians in another home game. While AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli were decent in their approach, they were removed before they could form major partnerships. Chris Gayle, who was fiery in the previous game against KKR, was dismissed for 21. Only four RCB batsmen could score in double-digits in what will be a serious worry.
Royal Challengers Bangalore 166 in 19.5 overs (Virat Kohli 41, AB de Villiers 46; Trent Boult 3 for 36) lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad 172 for 2 in 17.2 overs (David Warner 57, Shikhar Dhawan 50*, KL Rahul 44*; Yuzvendra Chahal 2 for 28) by 8 wickets.
Man of the Match: David Warner
(Amit Banerjee, a reporter at CricketCountry, takes keen interest in photography, travelling, technology, automobiles, food and, of course, cricket. He can be followed on Twitter via his handle @akb287)
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