The prospect of facing Kings XI Punjab means extensive research on Maxwell. Possibly a few hours spent decoding David Miller. But the winning push, in Hyderabad, came from 2 men who fly well under the radar.
Wriddhiman Saha, usually charged with steadying a top-order wobble, explode to make 54 off 26 and Manan Vohra, who was inked into the XI for the first time this season, made 47 off 20. Sunrisers Sunriser’s Hyderabad had amassed 205 runs but Punjab came in second best.
The Power play provides a vital chance when chasing a big total. Steyn and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, though, aren't the fastest bowlers to cart around. But that was what happened and the 86 for 1 that Wriddhiman Saha and Manan Vohra drove Kings XI to missed out on the overall IPL record for most runs in the 1st 6 overs by just one run.
Shikhar Dhawan was confident of his top orders's aptitude at the toss. His concerns lay with the middle order and their skill to speed up. Those were laid to rest courtesy a Naman Ojha-inspired bludgeon. A strong bottom hand dominated most of his shots, so much that drives through the cover region seemed shoveled.
He was brutal against the spinners and Sandeep Sharma's medium pace enabled him to drive Sunrisers past the 200-mark. The 26 runs that came in the 19th over meant Sandeep's 1 for 65 became the joint 2nd worst figures in IPL.
Score Details
Sunriser’s Hyderabad -205/5(20)
Kings XI Punjab -211/4(18.4)
Player of the match
Wriddhiman Saha
