IPL 9, Match 15: GL v SRH - 5 Talking Points

The Gujarat Lions fell to their first defeat of the IPL 9 courtesy of a crushing 10-wicket loss at the hands of the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Apart from skipper Suresh Raina and a tow other batsmen, the Lions batting order put up a horrific display as they fell prey to some brilliant bowling by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. David Warner played his customary skipper’s innings, but all eyes were on Shikhar Dhawan who seemed to have finally found his form.

1. Bhuvneshwar Kumar scythes through GL:

If it was going to be anyone to lead the SRH pace attack in the absence of Ashish Nehra, it was Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The 25-year old has made a solid case for national team selection with a magnificent performance with the ball. It almost seemed as though he had the ball on a piece of string and was able to swing it both ways. The GL batsmen, apart from maybe Raina had no answer to his bowling. Despite conceding the odd twos and fours, Kumar concluded with figures of 4/29 off his 4 overs. Among his scalps was the dangerous Aaron Finch whom he dismissed in the very first over for a duck.

2. Suresh Raina steps up:

If anyone was going to have an answer to the onslaught from the Sunrisers, it was Suresh Raina. With heaps of wickets falling around him with monotonous regularity, Raina was certainly captain courageous on the night. He went about his business despite the hemorrhage of wickets at the other end as well as rotated the strike with ease. Despite falling in the final over, the southpaw had put his team in a zone where they had something that could be defended. He smashed 75 off 51 deliveries, a knock that included 9 boundaries.

3. Horrific Lions batting display:

For the first time in the tournament, the Gujarat Lions batting order failed to launch. Apart from Suresh Raina, Brendon McCullum, and Ravindra Jadeja, none of the batsmen crossed into double figures. While many have their reasons as to what happened, one of the main reasons is perhaps the fact that they too heavily on the top order and apart from Raina don’t really have someone in the middle order who can play a match winning knock. Despite having the Karthik’s, the Bravo’s and the Jadeja’s they needed someone who could stay there and dictate terms.

4. Shikhar Dhawan finally comes good:

Shikhar Dhawan has been at the receiving end of a considerable amount of stick the past few weeks for his form. However, it all seemingly came right against the Gujarat Lions bowling. The southpaw, who also happens to be the premier opener for the national side, slammed a confidence boosting half-century, something that will give him immense confidence in the matches to follow. He remained unbeaten on 53 off 41 deliveries. The SRH management will certainly be pleased with the fact that he has finally found some form.

5. David Warner at it once again:

Prior to the start of the match, David Warner had smashed almost 30% of the SRH runs. Well, that percentage increased by a significant margin as the southpaw slammed his way to yet another match-winning half-century as the Sunrisers Hyderabad ensured a much-needed win. He also, like his opening partner Dhawan remained unbeaten as the Hyderabad-based franchise coasted to a comfortable 10-wicket win. He remained unbeaten on 74, scored from just 48 deliveries.

How did the match pan out? – IPL 9 Match 15, Review: Warner, Dhawan trounce Gujarat Lions by 10 wickets