Pacer scalps four after skipper Rahul, Hooda revive team with 50s
Sunrisers Hyderabad came back well in their second game but it was not good enough for them to cross the line. They retained the team that did duty in the opener - and like in the first game Kane Williamson decided to field - but looked good only in parts at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Monday.
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They restricted Lucknow Super Giants to 169/7 and faltered in the chase to finish at 157/9 for a 12-run defeat. The Powerplay gave little idea of things to come, as Washington Sundar showed why his prowess in the first six overs is rated so highly.
The 22-year-old, who battled injury and illness last year, set Lucknow back in his very first over. Williamson was spot on in getting the match-up right as Quinton de Kock's intended drive was neatly pouched by the Sunrisers' skipper. Evin Lewis was cramped for room and survived an umpire's call but Sundar (2/28) was not to be denied his man and when Manish Pandey succumbed cheaply against his former team, Lucknow were reduced to 36 for three in the powerplay.
It needed the pace of Umran Malik to inject some life in the Lucknow innings. The Sunrisers' pacer, who bowled in the powerplay in the first game and conceded 21 in his first over then, started well this time as skipper KL Rahul (68; 50b, 4x6, 6x1) and Deepak Hooda (51; 33b, 4x3, 6x3) did the repair job. But once set, they used Malik's pace to their advantage. Malik conceded 20 in the 10th over and 16 in his third as the 87-run fourth wicket partnership hauled Lucknow out of the woods.
1/10:Lucknow beat Hyderabad
<p>Avesh Khan returned figures of 4/24 as newcomers Lucknow Super Giants beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 12 runs to register their second successive win in the IPL on Monday. (BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>
2/10:Avesh rattles SRH
<p>Avesh rattled the top and middle-order and Jason Holder bowled a good final over to keep down Hyderabad to 157 for nine while chasing 170 in Mumbai. (BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>
3/10:Holder's last over
<p>Holder, playing his first game for Lucknow, took three wickets including two in the 20th over when Hyderabad needed 16 for victory. (BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>
4/10:Rahul and Hooda
<p>Earlier, skipper KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda hit half-centuries to guide Lucknow to 169/7. (BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>
5/10:Match-winning stand
<p>Rahul, who made 68, and Hooda, who smashed 51 off 33 deliveries, put on 87 runs to lift Lucknow from 27/3 after being put into bat first. (BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>
6/10:The art of survival
<p>Rahul and Hooda survived an express spell of pace bowling from Umran Malik, who bowled the fastest ball of the match at over 152 km/h (94 mph), before they took the attack to the opposition. (BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>
7/10:Hooda on fire
<p>Hooda hit 3 fours and 3 sixes as he reached his fifty in 31 balls, but soon fell to Romario Shepherd. (BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>
8/10:Rahul leads from the front
<p>Rahul kept up the attack with Ayush Badoni, who got useful runs in the final two overs with his 19 off 12 balls, before being trapped lbw to T Natarajan. (BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>
9/10:Avesh removes SRH openers
<p>Lucknow then pegged Hyderabad back with Avesh removing the openers including Kane Williamson for 16. (BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>
10/10:Hopes of a win
<p>Rahul Tripathi (44) helped put the chase back on track before Nicholas Pooran (34) and Sundar (18) raised hopes of a win, but Lucknow's bowlers kept coming back with wickets. (BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>It needed all of birthday boy T Natarajan's variations to keep the duo quiet in the 15th and Sunrisers will be happy that the left-armer found his range. The yorker specialist got rid of the Lucknow skipper and Krunal Pandya in a brilliant penultimate over but Romario Shepherd's 17 runs in the final over made the difference.
Williamson looked in good touch but Avesh Khan (4/24), his best figures in IPL, struck a double blow to reduce Sunrisers to 40 for two in the Powerplay. Avesh took two more towards the end to end their fight. Rahul Tripathi slammed a fluent 44 (30b, 4x5, 6x1) and added 44 for the third wicket with Aiden Markram as Sunrisers pared down the target to 88 runs from the last 10 overs. But Pandya, who bowled an excellent 11th over where he conceded just one run, got rid of them both.
Despite losing the top four, Sunrisers stayed in the hunt, needing 50 runs from the last five overs. Nicholas Pooran (34; 24b, 4x3, 6x2) and Sundar sparked hopes only to falter as Avesh turned out to be the star of the show.
