HYDERABAD: There is an age-old saying that goes: 'dance while you have the chance'. Sunrisers Hyderabad batsman Kane Williamson (89), playing his first match this season, did just that and a lot more when he played a whirlwind knock of 89 off 51 balls to propel his side to an imposing score of 191/4 against Delhi Daredevils at the RGIS here on Wednesday and ensure a 15 run victory.
In a surprise decision, SRH captain David Warner opted to bat first as against the norm of bowling first this season. The stars aligned in perfect combination for local lad Mohammed Siraj as he was handed a debut on his home ground, replacing left-arm seamer Barinder Sran. DD changed their squad for the 19th consecutive time in the league to bring in emerging India all-rounder Jayant Yadav, who opened the bowling.
Cruising steadily till the ninth over at a rate of more than nine runs per over, the DD ship was suddenly found in choppy waters with Yuvraj Singh's over yielding two wickets -- one of them being of Rishabh Pant's (0). It turned out to be a dream debut for the 23-year-old right-arm pacer Siraj as he returned 2/39, claiming the wicket of Sanju Samson (42) in the process. Shreyas Iyer (50) and Mathews (31) slogged till the end but that was not enough to tame the Sunrisers.
Earlier, expecting to continue his good run with the bat, Warner hit the field but a rising delivery from pacer Chris Morris dashed his hopes as he skied the ball into the hands of Amit Mishra. Then walked in the Kiwi skipper Williamson, who put his talent to the best use by constructing a solid innings which was studded with five sixes and six fours.
Treading carefully at the start, the Kiwi in companionship of Shikhar Dhawan (70) played the anchor role till the end of powerplay and then bamboozled the DD bowlers with his strokeplay. The SRH combo snaffled a partnership of 136 runs, making it the team's overall tenth 100-run partnership. Morris's scalped all the four wickets for his team and his heroics did not let the opposition surmount the 200-run mark.
The team remains unbeaten on the home frontier but the poor form of Yuvraj could spell trouble for the team as he managed to contribute only three runs to his side's total.