IPL 2021: PBKS vs SRH - Who won today’s match?
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) trounced a lackadaisical Punjab Kings (PBKS) by nine wickets to register their first victory in four matches in IPL 2021.
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, PBKS never got going as they were rolled over for a paltry 120 in the 20th over. They failed to make an impact with the ball as well, as SRH romped home with ease.
SRH raced away to 50 without loss at the end of the powerplay overs, with Jonny Bairstow and David Warner feasting on the underwhelming PBKS bowling.
Bairstow was the more aggressive of the two, hitting two sixes in the first six overs. He first lofted Fabian Allen over the long-on boundary and then eased a slower ball from Moises Henriques over the long-leg fence.
David Warner registered his first six in the tenth over when he danced down the track and chipped part-time spinner Deepak Hooda over the extra-cover boundary. PBKS finally had something to cheer about when Warner (37) top-edged a pull off Fabian Allen to deep midwicket.
Meanwhile, Bairstow brought up a patient fifty by pulling Hooda for a four. He celebrated by clubbing Arshdeep Singh for a six over midwicket in the penultimate over. Bairstow was dropped off the next ball as PBKS' woeful day neared a merciful end.
Bairstow (63 not out) and Kane Williamson (16 not out) completed the formalities as SRH eased home in 18.4 overs to register a comprehensive triumph.
Lethargic PBKS manage a meagre 120 batting first
Punjab Kings (PBKS) put up a shoddy batting effort to be bowled out for 120 in 19.4 overs after deciding to bat first against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Chennai. Mayank Agarwal and Shahrukh Khan were the only PBKS batsmen to cross the 20-run mark as SRH bowlers dominated proceedings.
PBKS got off to a poor start as captain KL Rahul (4) fell in the fourth over of the day, dragging a short-of-a-length delivery from Bhuvneshwar Kumar to short midwicket. That set the tone of the innings, and PBKS could never regain control.
Mayank Agarwal looked good during his 22 before pulling a slower ball from Khaleel Ahmed to Rashid Khan at midwicket. The fielder dived in front of him to pull off a good low catch. Khan had earlier dropped the same batsman at the start of the innings but did well to redeem himself.
Meanwhile, Nicholas Pooran’s horrible run continued, as he registered his third duck in four games, this time without facing a ball. Chris Gayle stabbed a ball to David Warner's right at extra cover and called his partner for a single. Pooran laboured for the run and was caught well short by the SRH captain's direct hit.
Gayle himself perished for 15 soon after, trapped in front of the stumps by a leg-break from Rashid Khan. PBKS had lost half their side for 63 when Abhishek Sharma had Deepak Hooda (13) lbw with an arm ball. Sharma had his second of the day when the left-arm spinner beat Moises Henriques (14) in the air and had him stumped.
The wickets kept tumbling as Fabian Allen (6) sliced a slower ball from Khaleel Ahmed to extra cover, where Warner took a smart sliding catch. Shahrukh Khan (22) hit a couple of sixes before he slashed another slower one from the left-armer to deep midwicket.
The bizarre run out of Mohammed Shami (3) to close the innings was a microcosm of PBKS' batting woes. The batsmen decided to try for a second after the fielder at deep point had already picked up the ball. Shami was way out of his crease when Jonny Bairstow removed the bails.
IPL 2021: PBKS vs SRH - Man of the Match
Left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed was the most successful bowler for SRH, with figures of 3 for 21. He got the big scalps of Mayank Agarwal and Shahrukh Khan, who were the joint top-scorers for PBKS with 22. Ahmed later added the wicket of Fabian Allen as well.
SRH captain David Warner used left-arm spinner Abhishek Sharma smartly, and the latter responded by outfoxing Deepak Hooda and Moises Henriques. Leg-spinner Rashid Khan was impressive once again, as he gave away only 17 runs in his four overs and trapped Chris Gayle leg before wicket.
With the bat, Jonny Bairstow starred with a composed 63 not out off 56 balls and was adjudged the Man of the Match for his excellent batting effort.