Tearaway pacer Dale Steyn grabbed three wickets in a sensational over as Sunrisers Hyderabad spanked Pune Warriors by 22 runs in a low-scoring Pepsi IPL match in Hyderabad on Friday night.
Playing their first match in the IPL under a new name, Sunrisers defended a small total of 126 for 6 after their bowlers produced a disciplined show to bundle out Warriors for 104 in 18.5 overs at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium.
Steyn dismissed tail-enders Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3), Rahul Sharma (0) and Ashok Dinda (0) in the space of four balls in the 19th over to end Warriors' innings.
The South African fast bowler conceded just 11 runs in his 3.5 overs.
Leg-spinner Amit Mishra also claimed three wickets for 19 runs from his four overs while Thisara Perera took two for 29 runs.
The Warriors batsmen fell in quick succession after openers Robin Uthappa (24) and Manish Pandey (15) raised 36 runs from 41 balls. From 36 for one in the seventh over, they were reduced to 50 for four in the 12th over and lost the plot from there on.
Uthappa's was the highest score while Yuvraj Singh could contribute just two runs.
Chasing a small target, the Warriors made a slow start as they struggled to score against the pace of Steyn and Ishant Sharma.
They were 18 for no loss at the end of the fifth over before Uthappa decided to take on the Sunrisers’ bowlers. He first hit Ishant for a six in sixth over before clobbering Perera for three fours on the trot in the next over.
But the Sri Lankan bowler had the last laugh as he had the batsman in the penultimate ball of the same over to reduce the Warriors to 36 for one in the seventh over.
Two overs later, Perera scalped his second wicket in the form of Marlon Samuels (5) as the batsman gave a simple catch to Cameron White.
Warriors were dealt a severe blow when they lost the wicket of Yuvraj eight balls later off the bowling of Amit Mishra.
Yuvraj charged down the wicket but Mishra’s flat delivery turned down the leg side, leaving past the batsman and Parthiv took the bails off in a jiffy.
When Yuvraj left, Warriors were 47 for three in the 10th over, needing 80 runs from the remaining 10.
As if competing to return to the dressing room, Pandey fell two overs later -- 12th -- caught by White after a Mishra delivery got the thick edge of the bat.
Abhishek Nayar (19) perished in the 16th over while trying to accelerate the chase and New Zealander Ross Taylor (19) followed him at the dressing room in the next over.
Mitchell Marsh was out five balls after Taylor and it was all over for the Warriors.
Earlier, put in to bat, Sunrisers made a steady start but lost wickets at a regular interval later. They were unable to put up any substantial partnership, the highest being the opening stand of 34 off 32 balls between Parthiv Patel (19) and Akshath Reddy (27).
Sri Lanka’s Thisara Perera top-scored with an 18-ball 30, which was includive of three fours and a six, while Akshath Reddy was the other notable contributor.
Warriors' bowlers put up a disciplined effort to deny the home side easy runs.
Pacer Ashok Dinda was the pick of bowlers with two wickets for 29 runs. Four other bowlers – Rahul Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Marlon Samuels and Yuvraj Singh -- took a wicket each.
Parthiv and Akshath raised 34 runs for the opening wicket before the former was dismissed by Dinda, clean-bowled for 19 in the sixth over.
Pune, who opened bowling with off-spinner Marlon Samuels, then tightened the grip by dismissing Sunrisers’ captain Kumar Sangakkara (15) in the 10th over, leg-spinner Rahul Sharma taking the wicket with a gem of a delivery.
Sangakkara was beaten in the flight, and as he charged out for a big hit, the tossed-up delivery went past his bat and hit the middle stump.
The home side’s skipper hit two fours in his 16-ball knock. Sunrisers were 60 for two when Sangakkara was out and with half their overs completed.
Rahul Sharma was bowling at his best at that stage, bagging one wicket at the expense of just six runs in two overs.
Yuvraj Singh played his part with his left-arm spin as he clean-bowled opener Akshath Reddy with a quicker delivery as Sunrisers were reduced to 72 for three in the 13th over.
Sunrisers struggled for runs and were 87 for four at the end of the 15th over.
The home side tried its best to get maximum runs in the last five overs but could add just 39 thanks to Perera scoring most of them.
Photograph: BCCI
