Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
Sunrisers Hyderabad continued their winning streak as they defeated Punjab Kings by seven wickets on Sunday afternoon. After being invited to bat first, Punjab Kings didn't get the start they were seeking from their openers, as Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed Shikhar Dhawan (8 off 11) in the third over of the game. Except for Liam Livingstone (60 off 33) and Shahrukh Khan (26 off 28), none of the batters could find the rhythm in the game.
Umran Malik was again at its best for Hyderabad as he wreaked havoc on Punjab's batting lineup with his sheer pace. The J&K pacer picked four wickets in the game, whereas senior bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar clinched three. T Natarajan and Jagdeesha Suchith also picked a wicket as PBKS were bundled out for 151.
However, while chasing, Hyderabad lost skipper Kane Williamson cheaply, but a crucial second-wicket stand between Rahul Tripathi and Abhishek Sharma kept the Orange Army on top. Later, Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran added another critical stand as Hyderabad completed the run-chase with seven balls to spare.
Notably, Dhawan was leading Punjab in the absence of Mayank Agarwal, who missed due to a toe injury during a practice session. Let's take a look at some of the highlights from the game.
1. Liam Livingstone's inning
In the absence of regular skipper Mayank Agarwal, Punjab didn't get the start they were hoping for from debutant Prabhsimran Singh (14 off 11) and Shikhar Dhawan (8 off 11). Even Bairstow could not make a mark in the game as he got dismissed after adding just 12 runs on board. But, Englishman held the fort from one end as they saw batters change at the other end at regular intervals. Livingstone played a blistering knock of 60 runs in just 33 balls, with the help of four maximums and five boundaries. Livingstone's inning helped Punjab post a respective total on board.
2. Umran Malik's lethal bowling
Hyderabad pacer has been attracting a lot of limelight ever since the tournament started. Earlier, he was known for his pace (150 plus kmph), but in the game against Punjab Kings, Malik also brought a few variations to his bowling. Malik's best came in the last over of the first innings, where he inflicted four wickets and didn't concede a single run. In the last over, Punjab lost four of their batters, while Malik picked three, Arshdeep Singh got run-out. Malik was rewarded with the Player of the Match award for his superb performance.
3. The partnership between Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran
Hyderabad had a low score to chase in twenty overs, but the dismissal of Kane Williamson early in the game put them on the backfoot. After Rahul Tripathi (34 off 22) and Abhishek Sharma (31 off 25) steadied the innings for Hyderabad, unbeaten knocks from Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran helped the side to cross down the winning margin with seven balls to spare. Both the players added a 77-run onboard to ensure their side's fourth victory on the trot.