DUBAI: Nicholas Pooran's brave effort went in vain as leg spinner Rashid Khan turned the game in a vital stage and gave Sunrisers Hyderabad 69-run victory over Kings XI Punjab in the 13th Indian Premier League at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday. This was SRH's third win in six matches and moved to third position in points table.
Chasing 202 to win, KXIP at one stage needed 76 from 6 overs with four wicket in land including Pooran who scored one of the fastest fifty (in 17 balls). But Afgan spinner Rashid bowled a double-wicket maiden to turn the game towards SRH. He finished with 3 for 12 in 4 overs. Pooran, could not handle Rashid, made 77 off 37 balls with 7 sixes and 5 fours. KXIP finally bundled out for 132 in 16.5 overs. No other batsmen could score more than 11. Khaleel Ahmed and T Natarajan took two wickets each.
Earlier, Jonny Bairstow (97) and David Warner (52) put up an opening stand of 160 runs as Sunrisers Hyderabad scored 201/6 wickets in 20 overs.
The mammoth opening stand was broken only in the 16th over by Ravi Bishnoi after which KXIP did well to restrain SRH down to a score just over 200. Bairstow was denied his second IPL hundred by Bishnoi in the same over.
KXIP took six wickets and conceded 41 runs in the last four overs. While wickets fell around him, Kane Williamson stood strong and was unbeaten on 20 off 10 balls. The only noteworthy stand outside of the opening partnership was between Williamson and Abhishek Sharma who put up 24 for the sixth wicket.
Brief scores: SRH 201/6 wickets in 20 overs (Jonny Bairstow 97, David Warner 52; Ravi Bishnoi 3/29) beat KXI 132 in 16.5 overs (Pooran 77, Rashid Khan 3/12, Khaleel Ahmed 2/24, T Natarajan 2/24). IANS
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