Internet Desk: It was a brilliant bowling performance from the Sun Risers Hyderabad seamers to strangle Kolkata Knight Riders to a 22 runs defeat at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Wednesday. Requiring 163 runs to win, the two times former IPL champions could only manage 140/8 in 20 overs. The win took Sun Risers to the Qualifier 2 where they will face Gujarat Lions on Friday.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the pick of the bowlers for SRH as he picked 3 wickets for 19 runs. Moises Henriques too bowled to pick 2 wickets for 17 runs. Manish Pandey was the top scorer for Knight Riders with 36 runs.
It wasn’t the start Knight Riders would have hoped as Robin Uthappa was caught by Henriques off Barinder Sran in the second over. Uthappa scored only 11 runs off 7 balls that included a boundary.
Yuvraj Singh who scored a useful knock with the bat affected a brilliant run out to get rid of Colin Munro. The Kiwi who did not look comfortable during his short stay at the crease managed to score just 16 runs from 17 balls.
Trying to accelerate the run rate the Knight Riders captain Gambhir pulled a short ball from Ben Cutting, only to be caught by substitute fielder Shankar at the boundary. The left hander scored 28 runs off same number of balls. His innings had two fours and a six. The score was 63/3 after 9.1 overs.
Yusuf Pathan who came at the crease with the fall of Gambhir did not last long as he was caught by Bhuvneshwar Kumar off the bowling of Henriques. Knight Riders were 69/4 after 10.5 overs.
Manish Pandey, who was demoted in the batting order played some wonderful strokes. He came down the track to hit a flat six straight down off Bipul Sharma. He followed it up with a boundary over the infield for another boundary off Mustafizur.
Surya Kumar swept fine over the short fine leg fielder to hit another boundary of the Bangladeshi bowler in the same over. Mustafizur went for 11 runs. Both Surya Kumar and Manish looked to steady the scoring.
Barinder Sran, who was brought in the attack in the 14th over inflicted a chance. Mustafizur missed an easy chance at the boundary to give Surya Kumar a life on 15 runs. The Knight Riders were at 102/4. Knight Riders required 53 runs off the last 5 overs.
Surya Kumar Yadav played an irresponsible shot to be caught by Shikhar Dhawan off Henriques for 23 runs off 15 balls. Knight Riders were 113/5 after 15.5 overs.
Manish was caught at long on by Deepak Hooda as he tried to hit Bhuvneshwar Kumar over the boundary. He scored 36 runs off 28 balls that included two fours and a six.
Needing 25 runs of the last over bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Knight Riders could only manage 2 runs. Kumar got Sathish bowled for 8 runs of his second ball. He then had Holder caught by Cutting for 6 runs in his fifth ball. Knight Riders could only manage 140/8 in 20 overs.
Yuvraj Singh scored an useful innings of 44 runs to help Sunrisers Hyderabad cross the 160 run mark. Sun Risers lost wickets at regular intervals in the second half but still managed to score 91 runs, riding mainly on Yuvraj and Deepak Hooda’s 49-run stand for the fourth wicket in 36 balls. Yuvraj smashed a six and eight fours in his 30-ball knock, while Hooda smacked two sixes in his 13-ball 21 cameo. For KKR, Kuldeep Yadav (3/35) took three wickets, whereas Morne Morkel (2/31) and Jason Holder (2/33) scalped two wickets each.
Gautam Gambhir’s decision to bowl was vindicated by his bowlers early in the innings as they kept the run-flow in check. Yusuf Pathan, who opened the attack, was hit for just one six in his first three overs, during the Powerplays, and conceded 17 runs, while Morkel clean bowled Shikhar Dhawan in his first over. Dhawan smashed two consecutive boundaries to Morkel but the tall pacer had the last laugh as he cleaned up the left-hander with the next delivery. The duo kept the opposition quite as SRH reached 31/1 in five overs.
David Warner and Moises Henriques then steadily took SRH to 62/1 after nine overs, and when they looked ready to shift the gears young spinner Kuldeep changed the scenario completely. The left-armer was hit for a six by Henriques in the third ball, but in the next he safely took a catch of the batsman’s leading edge. And in the very next ball, Kuldeep got the dangerous Warner. Henriques scored 31 in his brisk 21-ball knock with the help of two sixes and a four, while Warner hit three fours in his run-a-ball 28 as they duo added 59 runs for the second wicket in 7.4 overs.
Yuvraj Singh and Deepak Hooda took SRH past 100-run mark in the 15th over as they put on a handy 49 runs for the fourth wicket before a mixed-up ended partnership with the wicket of Hooda in the 16th. Kuldeep, whose direct hit sent Hooda back, came back and dismissed Ben Cutting and completed his quota of four overs with three for 35. Holder further checked SRH innings when he took two wickets – Yuvraj and Ojha – in the penultimate over, before Bipul Sharma hit two sixes in the final over to take the score over 150.