SUNRISERS HYDERABAD bagged their first points in IPL 2021 after beating Punjab Kings by nine wickets on Wednesday (21).
After KL Rahul opted to bat, Punjab were bundled out for 120 in 19.4 overs. Then Jonny Bairstow's unbeaten 63 off 56 balls ensured Hyderabad's win in 18.4 overs.
After three defeats in a row, Hyderabad bounced back with a recovered Kane Williamson returning to the playing XI. The New Zealand skipper remained not out on 16 off 19 balls. Bairstow and David Warner started off the run-chase strongly by scoring 73 runs of 10 runs before Warner fell to left-arm spinner Fabian Allen.
Earlier, Punjab's batsmen struggled with none scoring a fifty. Mayank Agarwal and Shahrukh Khan top-scored with 22 each. Nicholas Pooran was out for his third duck in four innings when he was run out. Chris Gayle, Rahul, Deepak Hooda also failed to fire.
Gayle was trapped leg before for 15 by legspinner Rashid Khan, while pacer Khaleel Ahmed who had earlier scalped Agarwal, too two late wickets to finish with figures of 3 for 21. Left-arm spinner had figures of 2 for 24.
From here on, every game becomes important for Punjab and skipper Rahul too knows it well.
"Every game from now is important for us and we've always been in that situation, where we get in a place where we have to win every game," he said.
Nat Sciver-Brunt
