Jonny Bairstow might have missed his deserving hundred but guided Sunrisers Hyderabad to a huge score of 201 for 6 against Kings XI Punjab in the Dream11 Indian Premier League match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
The 31-year-old opening batsman struck a blistering 97 (55 balls, 7×7, 6×6) to give his team a terrific start. The tall right-hander is one of the most consistent batsmen of this IPL season and maintained his dazzling form to give his team an ideal chance to break the losing streak.
It was a perfect evening for Sunrisers skipper David Warner. He not only won an important toss but also slammed a superb 51 (40 balls, 5×4, 1×6) to lay a strong foundation for a 200-plus total.
The left-right combination of Warner and Bairstow stitched a 160-run stand for the first wicket. It was the fifth 100-plus partnership between the experienced duo.
Bairstow posted his third highest T20 score ever. It was his ninth fifty on the trot against the Kings XI Punjab.
At one stage when Bairstow and Warner were going hammer and tongs, SRH were 160 for no loss in 15 overs and it looked like the 220-mark will be breached.
However, the strong partnership was broken by Ravi Bishnoi in the 16th over as he removed Warner (50) and then Bairstow (97) in a gap of just a couple of deliveries.
Warner mistimed a lofted shot and was caught at long-on by Glenn Maxwell on the first ball of the eventful 16th over. Moments later, Bairstow was adjudged leg-before by the third umpire as he played on the backfoot to a googly. The young leg-spinner picked up two wickets in the 16th over and conceded just a run.
Abdul Samad was promoted at the No. 3 spot but he could not do much. Manish Pandey was also dismissed cheaply as he was caught and bowled by Arshdeep Singh.
Kane Williamson, who remained unbeaten on 20, ended the innings with a double to take his side beyond 200. KXIP bowlers struck late and grabbed six wickets in the death overs. In the last five overs, SRH managed to muster only 41 runs and lost a whopping 6 wickets.
During this innings, Warner became the first batsman to score fifty 50 plus scores in IPL. The southpaw created IPL history in 132 innings.
Virat Kohli is next in the list with 42 scores of 50+ in 174 innings while Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma are tied for the third position with 39 scores of 50+ in 189 innings each. Last year, Warner captured his third Orange Cap as he amassed 692 runs in 12 matches at an astonishing average of 69.20 with a strike-rate of 143.86.
SRH have made one change in the playing XI as Khaleel Ahmed came in for Siddharth Kaul. KXIP, on the other hand, made three big changes — Prabhsimran, Arshdeep and Mujeeb come in for Jordan, Brar and Sarfaraz Ahmed.
Brief Scores
Sunrisers Hyderabad 201 for 6 in 20 overs (Jonny Bairstow 97, David Warner 52, Kane Williamson 20 not out, Abhishek Sharma 12, Abdul Samad 8; Ravi Bishnoi 3-29, Arshdeep Singh 2-33, Mohammed Shami 1-40) vs Kings XI Punjab.
Courtesy: orangecitysports.com
