CHENNAI:It was striking how KL Rahul confessed at the toss that he had hoped to lose the toss and let David Warner make the decision.
It gave the impression of a rather tentative side unsure about its own strengths and how to positively influence the game.The fact that three changes were made was further indication that, despite this being their sixth game, Rahul and the Kings XI think tank are still unsure about what their best eleven is.
In what could be dubbed a must-win game for two sides trying to keep pace with the others, Sunrisers looked more decisive as they backed themselves.The way in which Jonny Bairstow and Warner bullied the Punjab bowlers, Sunrisers looked to be hitting top gear again while Kings XI looked in total disarray.
The duo stitched together a mammoth 160-run partnership to give SRH the perfect start and give an indication that things are clicking into gear for the two after a stop-start beginning to the tournament. Warner scored his ninth consecutive fifty against Kings XI while Bairstow narrowly missed out on a century after getting out for 97 (off 55 balls).
However, in T20 cricket, there is no fool-proof formula or approach and Kings XI got right back into the mix after Bairstow and Warner departed.Wickets tumbled and that exposed the weakness of Hyderabad which has been their middle order not firing.
The familiar pattern of Hyderabad relying on their top order for runs and Kings XI continuing to struggle with the ball was on display at the Dubai ground as Sunrisers posted 201/6 from 20 overs.