Bengaluru, October 9: Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper David Warner became the first player in Indian Premier League (IPL) history to score 50 fifty-plus scores.
The burly Australian opener accomplished the feat during his knock of 52 which helped SRH register a comprehensive 69-run win over Kings XI Punjab in Match 22 of IPL 2020 at Dubai on Thursday (October 8) night.
After the match against KXIP, Warner now has 46 half-centuries with him having converted four of those fifty-plus scores to three-figure marks.
An opening stand of 160 between the left-hander (52) and his partner Jonny Bairstow (97) put SRH firmly in control, though they would have been slightly disappointed to finish on 201 for six given the platform laid for them.
In reply, KXIP were bundled out for for 132 inside 17 overs at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Clinical Sunrisers Hyderabad notch up 69-run win over Kings XI Punjab
The win also helped SRH move up up to third in the IPL 2020 table while KXIP continue to languish at the bottom.
After a promising start, KXIP challenge has fizzled out as they have won just one match from six outings.
IPL POINTS TABLE | FIXTURES/RESULTS
Warner hit five boundaries from his first 14 balls and his 40-ball knock also included one over the ropes.
However, it was opening partner Bairstow's boundary-laden knock that really caught the eye, the England batsman smashing seven fours and six maximums in a fine effort.
There were five wides in the first over of the match, setting the tone for an innings that was only slightly rescued from a KXIP perspective by Ravi Bishnoi (3-29) and Arshdeep Singh (2-33), as SRH scored only five boundaries in the last 38 balls.
KXIP required something special if they were to chase down 202 and a breathtaking 17-ball half-century from Nicholas Pooran (77) certainly gave them hope.
Nicholas Pooran smashes season's fastest fifty; Check out all time fastest list
However, he was one of three victims for Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan (3-12), whose stingy four-over spell proved pivotal KXIP collapsed from 105 for three to be bundled out for 132 in 16.5 overs.
KXIP next play Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi on Saturday (October 10) while SRH face Rajasthan Royals in Dubai a day later.