Sunrisers Hyderabad registered their highest run chase in IPL history as they beat Rajasthan Royals by five wickets to bring up their first win of IPL 2019 on Friday. After winning the toss, RR elected to bat and a century stand for the second wicket and a century from Sanju Samson helped them post 198/2. But it wasn't enough as David Warner's 37-ball 69 and a century stand for the opening wicket set the perfect platform for SRH's win with an over to spare.
Here are the three main takeaways from SRH's win over RR:
Are SRH really the best bowling side?
With Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma and Siddarth Kaul in the side, SRH were rightly termed as one of the most formidable bowling line-ups.
But with teams taking Rashid Khan out of the picture by just not taking risks against him, SRH have been deprived of an important wicket-taking option. That coupled with the fact that Bhuvi and Kaul aren't as good at the death anymore, it begs the question of whether SRH are really the best bowling side?
Since their inception, for the first five years, only one century was hit against them in the IPL. Since last IPl, there have been five, including the one from Sanju Samson.
If teams are negating Rashid and their pace attack is neither taking wickets or curtailing the flow of runs, it remains to be seen if SRH tweak their combination.
RR - Vijay Shankar's kryptonite?
While playing for Delhi Daredevils last season, Vijay Shankar had the lowest dot-ball percentage of any batsman in IPL 2018 (min 100 balls). In his last 10 IPL innings, he has only been dismissed twice and both occasions, it has been to Rajasthan Royals bowlers.
Although he only has one fifty in that period, he averages an incredible 134.5 and has a strike rate of 161. His stunning form has prompted SRH to give him a promotion to No.4 in this edition and he has been doing his role to perfection by keeping the scoreboard ticking by both rotating strike and hitting boundaries.
Brilliant batting all-round
It all began with Rahane, who registered his 27th IPL fifty, and then Sanju Samson just took over. After being given a reprieve on 58, Samson was in the mood to make SRH pay.
And that he most certainly did as he brought up his second IPL century courtesy of some effortless hitting that helped RR almost post 200.
In response, Warner was simply sensational. In next to no time, he made it back-to-back fifties to start IPL 2019 and inside the ninth over, SRH had already crossed 100. Although there was to be no century for Warner, he set the perfect platform for some crucial cameos from Vijay Shankar, Yusuf Pathan and Rashid Khan, who saw SRH over the line.