HYDERABAD - Shikhar Dhawan struck an unbeaten 47 after a clinical display by his bowling teammates as Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Gujarat Lions by five wickets in the IPL Friday.
Chasing 127 for a win, opener Dhawan carried his bat through the innings as Hyderabad chased down the target with six balls to spare.
Dhawan played second fiddle to his batting partners initially before opening up to take his side home. He hit six fours in his solid 40-ball unbeaten innings, including the winning shot which was also a boundary as Hyderabad reached 129 for 5 in 19 overs.
Earlier Hyderabad bowlers produced a clinical display to restrict the Lions to a meager 126 for 6 after being put into bat.
Pacers Mustafizur Rahman (2-17) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2-28) led an impressive bowling show while Barinder Sran and Moises Henriques took a wicket apiece as Hyderabad bowlers bowled a disciplined line and length.
Senior pacer Ashish Nehra (0/23) and Bhuvneshwar bowled a maiden over each as the Lions took 14 balls to score their first run, the most in IPL history.
Brief scores: Gujarat Lions 126 for 6 in 20 overs (Aaron Finch 51 not out, Suresh Raina 20; Mustafizur Rahman 2-17, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2-28) lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad 129 for 5 in 19 overs (Shikar Dhawan 47 not out; Dwayne Bravo 2-14, Dhawal Kulkarni 2-17).
Pune scores crucial win
Ajinkya Rahane continued his fine run of form and struck an unbeaten 63 to lead Rising Pune Supergiants to a much-needed seven–wicket win over Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League in Delhi Thursday.
Earlier, Pune bowlers did a good job to restrict Delhi to 162 for seven after inviting the host to bat.
Chasing a modest total on a good track, Pune crossed the line easily in 19.1 overs with Rahane carrying his bat. The opener scored unbeaten 63 off 48 balls while skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni played a fiery 27 off 20 balls.
Pune remained at No. 6 in the points table but got a crucial win under its belt, having struggled to find its feet in the debut season after losing some key players to injuries.
It was only the third win for Pune after losing six matches.
Brief scores: Rising Pune Supergiants 166 for 3 (Rahane 63*; Tahir 2-26) beat Delhi Daredevils 162 for 7 (Duminy 34; Bhatia 2-22, Boland 2-31) by seven wickets. — Agencies
