Twitter Reactions: Sunrisers Hyderabad defend low total again, stun Kings at home

The Sunrisers Hyderabad have reinstated their claims as the best bowling unit of the IPL 2018. They had successfully defended a low total of 118 in the previous game against the Mumbai Indians in Mumbai. Their bowlers had made a mockery of the MI bowling, dismissing them for a paltry 87. And now, they have backed up the performance with yet another excellent bowling display against the Kings XI Punjab at home.

The Kings were asked to chase a modest total of 132 in the match. They got off to a flying start with Chris Gayle and KL Rahul going great guns. But in the middle overs, Rashid Khan bowled an excellent spell to bring the hosts back in the hut. Suddenly, every bowler started chipping in with wickets for the Sunrisers. The Kings failed to cross the line and ended up falling short by 13 runs.

Earlier in the game, the Sunrisers Hyderabad were asked to bat first after Ravichandran Ashwin won the toss for the visitors. The hosts got off to a poor start with Ankit Rajpoot dismantling the SRH top order. He dismissed Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson, and Wriddhiman Saha in the powerplay to push the hosts right on the back foot. The run scoring looked tough and Manish Pandey added 52 runs for the fourth wicket with Shakib Al Hasan.

Shakib’s painful stay at the crease ended with Mujeeb Zadran dismissing him on 28 (29). Manish found a new partner in Yusuf Pathan, but the senior duo failed to get the run rate going. Pandey scored 54 off 51 deliveries before getting dismissed in the final over. His knock saw his hit a six and three sixes.

Pathan remained unbeaten on 21 as Sunrisers Hyderabad posted 132/6 in their stipulated 20 overs. Ankit Rajpoot was the pick of the bowlers for the Kings XI Punjab. He was thoroughly impressive with his lines on the day and returned with figures of 5/14 in his quota of 4 overs.

In the run chase, the Kings XI Punjab had a very brisk start with KL Rahul and Chris Gayle adding 55 runs for the first wicket. The partnership was broken when Rashid Khan dismissed Rahul on 32. In the very next over, Basil Thampi dismissed Chris Gayle on 23. Once the openers were back in the hut, no KXIP batsman could show resilience at the crease. The innings eventually folded out on 119, giving the Sunrisers a 13 runs win in the match.

Here is how the fans reacted to the match:

SRH bowlers spoiling their batsmen. #SRHvKXIP

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) April 26, 2018

How low can these guys go! Stunning performance @SunRisers! #WhistlePodu #SRHvKXIP

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 26, 2018

Celebrations galore from the #OrangeArmy #SRHvKXIP pic.twitter.com/VzpUKpJRdK

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 26, 2018

They are a pride of lions. They come dressed in orange and black. They are the bowlers of Hyderabad. They will hunt you down. #SRH #SRHvKXIP

— …. (@ynakg1) April 26, 2018

Name : Sun Risers
Job : Defending low scores like a BOSS #SRHvKXIP

— Troll Tollywood (@Troll_Tollywood) April 26, 2018

Sunrisers Hyderabad Beat #KXIP By 13 Runs. Take A Bow For #SRH Bowlers. Each One Of Them. And Remember, Bhuvi Is Not Even Playing The Match. ??? #SRHvKXIP #OrangeArmy

— Sir Ravindra Jadeja (@SirJadeja) April 26, 2018

The @SunRisers can defend the undefendable. Rashid Khan is brilliant but the way Sid Kaul, Sandeep Sharma, Thampi exert and maintain pressure is fantastic. Great effort to defend this against Punjab #SRHvKXIP

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) April 26, 2018

You can't predict what Rashid Khan or Mujeeb will bowl.
You can predict that Afghans must be so proud of their success in this IPL.
Super watching them.#SRHvKXIP

— Sorabh Pant (@hankypanty) April 26, 2018

Not the result we would have liked, but happy with the first half of the tournament.5 out of 7 we will take it. Have a week’s break now. Congratulations @SunRisers on the victory & a great effort from young Ankit Rajpoot becoming the first Punjab bowler to take a 5-for #SRHvKXIP

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) April 26, 2018

So refreshing to watch an IPL team win matches purely because they have a super strong bowling attack. SRH is a team to watch out for this IPL! #SRHvKXIP

— richa singh (@richa_singh) April 26, 2018

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