IPL 10, Match 6, Sunrisers Hyderabad v Gujarat Lions - 5 Tracking Points

The defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad continued their merry run in the IPL with their skipper David Warner leading from the front yet again. Warner played a match winning knock at Hyderabad and handed the Gujarat Lions their second defeat of the season. Coming in to the match, both teams had contrasting fortunes. The Sunrisers camp were a happy unit with a very settled combination lined up for them.

On the other hand, the Gujarat Lions had very little options to play with in their bowling department. They tried to bring in a few changes but on this day, it was their batting that failed. Jason Roy looked very good at the top order for his quick 21. However, three wickets from Rashid Khan dented the opposition soon. The likes of Suresh Raina, Brendon McCullum and Aaron Finch got out for single digit scores.

Dinesh Karthik and Dwayne Smith then played handy cameos of thirties in the end overs to see the crashing innings end up with 135/7 in their 20 overs. In the run chase, Sunrisers Hyderabad lost Shikhar Dhawan cheaply but David Warner and Moises Henriques put on a brilliant stand to see the hosts win with ease on the night.

Here are the 5 Tracking Points from the SRHvGL match:

1. Roy gives a fitting start

The batting of Gujarat Lions is perhaps the strongest on paper when it comes to the overseas powerhouses. They had Brendon McCullum and Jason Roy opening the innings on the day. Roy, who had come in to the tournament riding on a brilliant run in the limited overs cricket, had a reputation to uphold. He had got a start in the first match but could not capitalize.

He had a similar showing in the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad as well. He got off to a flying start and looked very set for a big score. He quickly raced to 31 off 21 balls with 5 fours. He had to do the bulk of the scoring during his stay at the crease as his senior partner Brendon McCullum largely struggled with his timing and scored only 5 runs of 10 balls.

2. Rashid Khan dents Lions

Young Afghanistan leggie Rashid Khan has been a top performer for the national set up ever since he broke out at the big screen. In the previous match, he became the first Afghanistani player to play in the IPL. Coming in to this match, he created another record by becoming the first Purple cap holder of the season.

He dented the Gujarat Lions bowling with a triple strike on the day. He started off by getting the wicket of Brendon McCullum on 5 in his very first over. In his next over, he dismissed Aaron Finch on 3. He completed his triplet of three wickets by dismissing the main man Suresh Raina for 5. He returned with figures of 3/19 in his four overs.

3. Karthik-Smith play the saving grace

At 57/4, the Gujarat Lions looked in deep trouble with their spinners putting a strangle hold on the opposition. It was then that Dinesh Karthik and Dwayne Smith played the knock of the saving grace. The two batsmen added 56 runs for the 5th wicket to take the scorecard past the 100 run mark.

Karthik, who looked in supreme form in the previous match, scored 30 off 32 deliveries with 2 fours during his stay at the crease. Meanwhile, Dwyane Smith was the more aggressive batsman at the crease with a quick 37 off 27 balls with 4 fours and six to his name. Their efforts saw Gujarat Lions post 135/7 in their 20 overs.

4. Shikhar Dhawan departs cheaply

The Sunrisers Hyderabad lost their opener Shikhar Dhawan cheaply in the run chase. Chasing 135 for the win, the SRH openers David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan walked in to bat. While Warner was on the attacking mode right from the word go, Dhawan did not look that convincing at the crease.

He did clobber a maximum that set the tone for the run chase. Barring that shot, he could not do much in the innings. He perished for 9 runs that came off 9 balls in the 4th over. It was Praveen Kumar who got the wicket as Brendon McCullum completed a simple catch to send the southpaw packing. His departure brought Moises Henriques at the crease.

5. Warner leads the pack, Moises hits two in a row

Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper David Warner and middle order batsman Moises Henriques put on an unbeaten 108 run stand in just 74 balls to guide the SRH to their second win this season. They managed to overhaul the target in just 15.3 overs with 9 wickets in hand. Warner was the top scorer with 76 runs to his name in just 45 deliveries.

He clubbed 4 maximums and 6 sixes during his unbeaten stay at the crease. Moises Henriques struck his second consecutive fifty this season. He hit a timely 52 off 39 balls with 6 fours to his name. It has been a very good sign for SRH camp to see Henriques be in such sublime form at number 3.