IPL 2016: Bowlers, Shikhar Dhawan set up 5-wicket win for Sunrisers Hyderabad

Hyderabad, May 6: Bowlers and Shikhar Dhawan combined well to steer Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to a five-wicket victory over Gujarat Lions (GL) in an Indian Premier League 2016 (IPL 9) match here on Friday night (May 6).

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After keeping Gujarat to 126/6, Hyderabad chased down the target in 19 overs for the loss of 5 wickets. Opener Dhawan carried his bat to 47 not out. Skipper David Warner scored 24.

Earlier, Hyderabad produced a clinical bowling show as they restricted Gujarat to a meagre 126 for 6. Put into bat, all the Lions batsmen, except for Aaron Finch (51 not out) struggled as the visitors posted a small total at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium at Uppal.

Finch was the only Lions batsman who gave a fight against a disciplined Gujarat bowlers and the Australian, who was dropped on 30 by home side captain Warner, remained not out on 51 off 42 balls with the help of three fours and a six.

Captain Suresh Raina contributed 20 off 10 balls while Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra scored 18 each. For Hyderabad, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mustafizur Rahman grabbed two wickets apiece while Barinder Sran and Moises Henriques took a wicket each.

The Lions began with one of the slowest starts ever in the IPL and then slumped to 25 for 3 inside powerplay overs. Openers Dwayne Smith (1) and Brendon McCullum (7) struggled to get off the blocks as the first Lions' run came after 13 dot balls with Bhuvneshwar and Nehra bowling a maiden over each.

Dwayne Smith's miserable nine-ball innings ended in the third over with Bhuvneshwar inducing an outside edge to short third man Mustafiz who took a chest-high catch. Raina came out and in complete contrast to his openers, hit a quickfire 20 off just 10 balls before perishing in the fifth over.

He struck two exquisite sixes, one each off Nehra and Bhuvneshwar and it briefly looked like the Lions would recover from early jolt and slow scoring rate. After hitting a six and a four off Bhuvneshwar, the Lions captain fell to a return catch to the same bowler, leaving his side at 24 for 2 in five overs.

Mustafizur was introduced in the sixth over and he could have have got a wicket in his first ball but Shikhar Dhawan dropped McCullum who was on three then. The Bangladeshi pacer got his man in the same over in the form of Dinesh Karthik (0) with Kane Williamson taking a brilliant catch at backward point.

The fielder was, however, not sure whether he took it cleanly or not. But, the TV Umpire ruled it was a catch. McCullum fell in the eighth over off Henriques to add misery to the Lions innings.

Warner took the catch at long-off as the New Zealander played a lofted shot and was out after playing an uncharacteristically slow 19-ball innings.

It was left to Dwayne Bravo and Finch to take the Lions to a respectable total and the duo did some repair by stitching 45 runs together before the West Indian all-rounder fell in 15th over off the bowling of Sran.

PTI