IPL 2018, KXIP vs SRH: 5 reasons why Hyderabad lost

It was Match 16 from the eleventh edition of Vivo IPL that saw two of the most sought out teams lock horns in a battle to get to the top of the table. The finest bowling attack of Sunrisers Hyderabad was to take on the explosive batting line-up of Kings XI Punjab at Mohali.

After winning the toss, Kings decided to bat first on a flat deck as they posted a total of 193 for the loss of 3 wickets. It was Chris Gayle, who came to the party to notch up his 21st T20 century.

With a daunting task in hand, Hyderabad relied heavily upon the likes of Dhawan and Williamson to give them a blistering start. But nothing seemed to go their way with Dhawan retiring hurt in the first over itself. Hyderabad always played the catch-up game as they were never in the game and handed the home team a victory by 15 runs.

#1 No wickets for Hyderabad bowlers in the powerplay

Usually known for their good bowling upfront, Sunrisers boasts of bowlers who can dismantle any batting line up on their given day. However, this time they were up against an opposition that featured who’s who in their ranks. The dynamic duo of Rahul and Gayle came up with a cautious approach to open the innings.

Aware of the threats from the bowling unit, Punjab managed to score runs at a decent rate and most importantly without losing a wicket in the first six overs. It was something that is not seen with Hyderabad as they failed to strike early breakthroughs despite the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rashid Khan featuring in their attack.