Hyderabad: Sunrisers Hyderabad started slowly, surged in the middle overs and slumped in the second half of their innings to finish with a modest 146 for 8 against Delhi Daredevils here on Thursday night.
However, with a brilliant bowling attack in the boot, they would fancy their chances in their last home game at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium.
Delhi began very well. Jayant Yadav and Nathan Coulter-Nile opened with miserly spells, pinning the Eagles in the first three overs, at the end of which the score read a mere 11.
The introduction of Mohammed Shami in the fourth over livened up the proceedings a bit at the otherwise sedate stadium. Shikhar Dhawan smashed the seamer to the midwicket boundary and David Warner cut a couple through point as the hosts picked 15 runs off the over.
That provided the much needed impetus as Warner tore into Jayant, thumping him for two boundaries and a six. The scoreboard began to rattle. At the end of Power Play period, it read an impressive 51 for no loss.
It took the guile of Jayant Yadav, reintroduced in the ninth over, to see the back of Warner. After nearly bowling the rival captain, seeing him try a switch hit, enduring an embarrassing fielding error by teammate Chris Morris on the long-off boundary, the off-spinner beat the left-hander all hands up with one that disturbed his leg-stump.
Warner fell four runs short of what would have been a well-deserved half-century. His 30-ball knock contained six boundaries and a six. At the halfway stage, the Eagles were flying high at 80 for 1.
Jayant’s jaunty run from deep midwicket that culminated in a diving catch triggered the fall of the second wicket, that of Dhawan, who looked set for a big score after hitting three fluent fours in his 37-ball 34.
Yuvraj Singh walked in to loud cheer and doubled the decibel level when he thumped Amit Mishra into the crowd. The leg-spinner had the last laugh though, having him caught by Rishab Pant at short fine leg as he miscued a shot.
Shami then trapped Moises Henriques leg before wicket as the Sunrisers slipped to 114 for 4 in the 16th over.
Deepak Hooda too did not last long as he stepped on his own stumps while playing a shot. He returned to the dugout after making just 10.
Kane Williamson was gone as well, failing to connect a Morris full toss that crashed into his stumps. The Kiwi’s 27 came off 24 balls and included three boundaries. Bhuvneshwar Kumar walked in and walked out — run out for 1 — as the Sunrisers scrambled towards the end.
