Kane special gives SRH home victory

Sunrisers Hyderabad batsman Kane Williamson, playing his first match of the season, did just that and a lot more.
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Kane Williamson sweeps during his half-century against Delhi Daredevils on Wednesday | Vinay Madapu
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Kane Williamson sweeps during his half-century against Delhi Daredevils on Wednesday | Vinay Madapu

HYDERABAD: There is an age-old saying that goes: dance while you have the chance. Sunrisers Hyderabad batsman Kane Williamson, playing his first match of the 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.

Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer

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 suddenly found itself in choppy waters with Yuvraj Singh’s over yielding two wickets — one of them being Rishabh Pant’s (0). It turned out to be a dream debut for 23-year-old Siraj as he returned with figures of 2/39, claiming the wicket of Sanju Samson (42). Shreyas Iyer (50) and Mathews (31) slogged till the end but that was not enough to tame the defending champions.

Keen to extend his good run with the bat, Warner hit the field but a rising delivery from Chris Morris dashed his hopes as he skied the ball into the hands of Amit Mishra. Then walked in Kiwi skipper Williamson whose innings included five sixes and six fours.

Starting off carefully, the Kiwi, along with Shikhar Dhawan (70), played the sheet-anchor’s role till the end of powerplay and then bamboozled the DD bowlers with his strokeplay. The SRH combo stitched together a partnership of 136 runs, making it the team’s tenth 100-run partnership overall. Morris scalped four wickets for his team and his heroics did not let the opposition surmount the 200-run mark.
Sunrisers remained unbeaten at home 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.

vishal@newindianexpress.com

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