Warner, Bhuvneshwar help Sunrisers overcome KXIP led by fighting Vohra
HYDERABAD: Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper David Warner and seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar have emerged as the batting and bowling leaders though the defending champions are yet to find their best in this Indian Premier League.
David Warner struck a patient, unbeaten 70 before Bhuvneshwar Kumar grabbed his maiden five-wicket haul in the IPL as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated a fighting Kings XI Punjab by five wickets in the thrilling encounter at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Monday.
Warner saw the rest of the batsmen struggle to get going, but kept his focus to score his runs off 54 balls (7x4, 2x6), taking up nine overs, to help the hosts post 159 for 6.
Kings XI Punjab looked set to upstage the defending champions as opener Manan Vohra scored a brilliant 50-ball 95 with nine fours and five sixes.
Vohra took KXIP to within a gettable 15 runs from 10 balls when Bhuvneshwar, the team’s stand-out bowler in the last three games struck the big blow.
Bhuvi, hailed as the best deathover bowler in India by teammate Ashish Nehra, lived up to that reputation by trapping Manan Vohra, reducing KXIP to 145/9 and effectively sealing the game.
It was the maiden five-wicket haul in IPL for Bhuvneshwar, 27, who was the leading wickettaker of IPL 2016 with 23 wickets.
He struck the initial blow and then removed the dangerous Glenn Maxwell, the Kings XI Punjab skipper, for 10 before accounting for Vohra.
Bhuvneshwar, the leading wickettaker in this IPL, took his tally to 15 wickets following his sensational haul of 5/19 on Monday. The Uttar Pradesh seamer has been Sunrisers Hyderabad’s stand out player for the third match in a row. But unlike the previous matches, against Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, SRH ended on the winning side.
After claiming 3/20 against KKR --- he took 3/21 versus MI --at Eden Gardens in the 15-run loss, Nehra hailed him as one of the best slog-over bowlers in India.
“Earlier people used to think he’s only a new ball bowler. Between him and Jasprit Bumrah, the two who only play ODIs, Bhuvi has been one of the best death bowlers. He will definitely improve from here onwards. He’s a very hardworking guy,” Nehra said. Bhuvi has led the way in his typically quiet manner in a team where teenaged Afghan leg spinner, Rashid Khan, has caught the imagination of the cricket world with his brilliant show on his IPL debut. Rashid claimed two wickets on Monday to take his tally to nine wickets. Last year, Bangladesh paceman, Mustafiqur Rahman’s 17 wickets proved vital in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s victory, but he has played one match this season after arriving late due to fitness issues.
But Bhuvneshwar has taken charge to ensure his team does not miss much in the bowling department. He also accounted for the dangerous Glenn Maxwell, the Kings XI Punjab skipper, for 10 runs.