IPL 2018: In Warner's absence, Sunrisers Hyderabad steamroll Royals to stay atop of the points table

For the bottom 4 teams though, the tournament has just begun and all is not lost yet.

Published - 09 Apr 2018, 23:39 IST | Updated - 09 Apr 2018, 23:39 IST

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The eleventh season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has got underway in style and all the eight teams have played one match now. While the opening encounter was an absolute thriller between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI), the second day saw the records being demolished by KL Rahul who smashed the fastest half-century ever in the history of the cash-rich league. However, the ruthless team so far has been Sunrisers Hyderabad who literally thrashed Rajasthan Royals in the one-sided encounter.

They chased down the target of 126 runs in the 16th over itself which helped them in having the upper hand over the other teams in terms of net run-rate. Shikhar Dhawan’s unbeaten knock of 77 runs helped them to reach the top of the table after playing their first itself. They have the best net run-rate of +1.771 as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are behind them who romped past the star-studded Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) the other day on the back of a stunning knock from Sunil Narine.

What about CSK?

Kings XI Punjab are at the third position courtesy KL Rahul who pummelled the bowlers of Delhi Daredevils while chasing the total of 167 runs in Mohali. Chennai Super Kings make up the top 4 of the table as they won the closest of the four games against MI only because of Dwayne Bravo. If not for his trailblazing knock, they would’ve been lying at the wrong end of the table.

For the bottom four teams though it is not the end of the road at all. It is a long tournament with 13 more matches to go for every team. But surely they will have to buck up and sort the problems in their squad in order to qualify for the playoffs comfortably. The IPL action now shifts to Chepauk Stadium in Chennai where the home side will lock horns with KKR who are riding high after their victory in the last game.