Hyderabad: Shikhar Dhawan held fort as the Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Gujarat Lions by five wickets in their Indian Premier League match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium here on Friday.
Dhawan scored 47 not out (4x6) as the hosts scored 129 for 5 in chase of 127, dragging themselves over the line in 19 overs. After a disappointing show with the bat, the Lions displayed great spirit and made Hyderabad really work for their victory.
While this wasn't as emphatic as The Sunrisers' 10-wicket victory over the same side when they last met in Rajkot, it still propelled them back into the top half of the table.
Earlier, some truly impressive bowling by the Sunrisers Hyderabad restricted Gujarat Lions to an underwhelming 126 for 6. Aaron Finch filched an unbeaten 51 (3x4, 1x6) but could not stop his team from recording their second straight uninspired batting show against the soaring Eagles.
Mustafizur Rahman (2 for 17) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2 for 28) were the pick of the bowlers for the home side. Electing to field first, Sunrisers smothered the Lions, squeezing all attacking intent out of them over the course of 20 overs. Of course, the Suresh Raina-led didn't help their cause any, losing four wickets inside the first eight overs, having scored only 34 runs. This despite some generous fielding by the Sunrisers, including a grassed chance off the dangerous Brendon McCullum.
The Eagles gave the 30,000-strong crowd had plenty to cheer about right from the start, and the home fans gladly obliged, shouting themselves hoarse as the neither MCCullum nor his opening partner, Dwayne Smith, managed even a squeak off the first 13 deliveries.
Feeling stifled, Smith slashed Bhuvneshwar straight to Rahman at short third man. Raina walked in and tried to bully the bowlers into submission but his stay at the crease was cut short - for 20 off 10 deliveries -- when he was caught and bowled by Bhuvneshwar. This compounded Raina's woeful form. The southpaw hasn't crossed the fifty-run mark in six innings.
The impressive Rahman then removed Dinesh Karthik for a duck, with the score at 25, thanks to a truly spectacular catch by Kane Williamson. The New Zealander, fielding at backward point, flung himself to his left and just about got his fingers under the ball. The catch was referred to the third umpire, who sided with the Sunrisers, leaving the Lions thoroughly rattled.
McCullum was the next to depart for a scratchy 7 off 19 deliveries. Finch was joined by West Indian allrounder Dwayne Bravo. The pressure was on the pair to take the Lions to a respectable total and Bravo said, "No thanks!" as he holed out in the deep off the bowling off Barinder Sran, for 18 (20 deliveries). All this while, Finch puttered along in an uncertain manner in an attempt to keep his team afloat.
