IPL 2017: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Gujarat Lions, 5 Talking Points
Defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad cruised to their second successive victory of this year’s IPL after defeating Gujarat Lions by seven wickets at Hyderabad, thus continuing their unbeaten streak against the franchise. The Gujarat Lions, on the other hand, slumped to their second successive defeat, having been defeated by the Kolkata Knight Riders in their tournament opener.
The Sunrisers had won the toss and opted to bowl first. Jason Roy looked in good touch at the beginning, scoring 31 off 21 deliveries before being dismissed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. However, McCullum, Finch, and Raina were dismissed quickly and the Gujarat Lions were reeling at 57/4.
Extra Cover: IPL 2017: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Gujarat Lions, Player Ratings
A 56-run partnership between Dinesh Karthik and Dwayne Smith, who scored 30 and 37 respectively, and helped by a little cameo of 13 from Basil Thampi took the Gujarat Lions to a total of 135/7 in their 20 overs. The Sunrisers’ bowling was brilliant, with 18-year old Rashid Khan picking up three wickets and conceding only 19 runs in his four overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled an economical spell of 2/21 from his four overs while Ashish Nehra gave away only 27 runs in his four overs and picked up Dinesh Karthik’s wicket.
In reply, SRH lost opener, Shikhar Dhawan, early, but skipper David Warner and his compatriot Moises Henriques smashed the Gujarat bowlers and chased down the target in 15.3 overs. Warner scored 76 off 45 deliveries while Henriques scored his second successive fifty of the tournament, remaining unbeaten on 52 from 39 deliveries. Rashid Khan was adjudged the Man of the Match for his brilliant spell.
The Sunrisers now take on the Mumbai Indians at Mumbai in their first away game of the tournament while Gujarat Lions will take on Rising Pune Supergiants at Rajkot. Here are five talking points of the match.
#5 Moises Henriques continues to impress with the bat
A 74-ball partnership of 108 runs between David Warner and Moises Henriques was enough to seal the match for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. While David Warner top scored with 76, Moises Henriques continued his good form with the bat, scoring 52 from 39 deliveries, and his second successive fifty of the tournament, having scored the same amount of runs in the opening match of the tournament against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Against RCB, Henriques began steadily by hitting a couple of boundaries but gradually cranked up his game and hit a couple of sixes as well en route to his fifty. In Sunday’s match, he was dealing only in boundaries and assisted Warner in keeping the scoreboard ticking.
Provided Henriques improves his performances with the ball, he would well be a crucial player in SRH’s attempt to retain the IPL.