Defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad made a perfect start to their Indian Premier League campaign crushing a depleted Royal Challengers Banaglore by 35 runs in the opening encounter, here tonight.
Veteran Yuvraj Singh's blazing blade (62 off 27 balls) and unheralded Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan Arman (2/36 in 4 overs)'s crucial breakthroughs enabled Sunrisers to outwit a Virat Kohli-less RCB in all departments.
A challenging target of 208 was achievable on a placid track but RCB could only manage 172 in 19.4 overs losing wickets at regular intervals. This was the first time after 23 IPL matches that RCB were all-out.
RCB's top four --- Chris Gayle (32), Mandeep Singh (24), Travis Head (30) and Kedar Jadhav (31) were all set before getting out.
Kedar's dismissal was the turning point as RCB were never in the match after that.
The India international was looking dangerous during his 16-ball stay and was run-out when Ben Cutting's direct throw
from the deep found him short by a metre.
On a belter where pacers became easy prey for the batsmen, Sunrisers skipper David Warner rotated his spinners well trying to take the pace off the deliveries.
Young Rashid, who created history by being the first Afghan to play an IPL match got Mandeep with a fuller delivery that didn't turn.
The batsman trying to cut got an inside edge onto the stumps.
The celebration was atypical Shahid Afridi just like his style of fastish leg-breaks. Rashid also got Travis Head
when the batsmen tried to play a slog sweep.
But Deepak Hooda got the most important wicket when he got Gayle trying to hit him over long-off for a second six
only to be caught by Warner. Th wickets fell at regular intervals and there was no pressure on Sunrisers as they
coasted to victory. Ashish Nehra (2/42) also gota couple of wickets to reach a personal milestone of 100 IPL victims.
Earlier, a vintage Yuvraj hammered RCB bowlers to submission as Sunrisers Hyderabad posted a commendable 207 for
4 put into bat by Shane Watson.
On a batting beauty, Yuvraj smashed the RCB bowlers to cleaners after Srinath Aravind dropped a dolly at deep square
leg boundary. Yuvraj was on 26 then and the let-off allowed him to score his fastest IPL half-century off 23 balls.
Moises Henriques' 52 off 37 balls also went a long way in contributing to Sunrisers' total. The Yuvraj-Henriques pair added 58 runs runs in only 4.5 overs after Shikhar Dhawan (40) was involved in a 74-run stand for the second wicket.
Yuvraj's innings had seven fours and three sixes while Henriques' innings had three fours and two sixes.
Skipper David Warner started with a couple of boundaries and huge six over long-on off left-arm seamer Aniket Chaudhary
but was gone when his slash was taken by a leaping Mandeep Singh at backward point.
Dhawan banged rival skipper Shane Watson for four boundaries in the final Powerplay over to set the tone.
Henriques at the other end chanced his arms to hit a six over long-on off Travis Head. Once Dhawan was caught in the deep off Stuart Binny's delivery, Yuvraj came in and started taking on the bowlers.
Rajasthan's Chaudhary, who has been with the India camp came in for special treatment including a lofted extra cover
drive for a six apart fom two fours in a single over.
Aravind, who dropped him bowled a back of the hand slower that was dispatched into mid-wicket stands.
A widish delivery from Chaudhary was slashed past point to reach his half-century.
IPL's million dollar boy Tymal Mills was flicked past short fine leg and once again picked the slower delivery into
the deep square leg stands before becoming his first victim.
India's T2- specialist Yuzvendra Chahal (1/22 in 4 overs) held his own without conceding a single boundary while Mills 1/31 in 4 overs bowled the maximum (11) dot balls.
Highlights:
* Beautiful cover-drive by Watson of Cutting and RCB gets four more runs. They have crossed 150-run mark but still have a long way to go
* Binny six! He hits Cutting slower delivery over deep mid-wicket. RCB need 63 off 28 balls.
* SIX! Shane Watson hits one off Rashid’s last ball. The Afghanistan bowler has taken two wickets for 36 in four overs.
* Huge appeal for LBW by Rashid off Stuart Binny. Umpire not interested
* Sachin Baby out. RCB 128/5
Baby goes for an across shot against Bipul Sharma and is caught by Henriques at Mid-wicket.
* Head out. RCB 126/4
* Rashid gets his second wicket as Head is caught by Yuvraj. head goes for a slog-sweep but mistimes it and is caught by Yuvraj at long-on. The Afghanistan leg-spinner is having a dream debut.
* Four! Head hits Rashid for four over deep mid-wicket. Much needed relief for RCB.
* If RCB are to win it can be safe to say that Watson will have to play a pivotal role from here on.
* Rashid Khan is back into the attack! He will have handle Watson.
* Kedar Jadhav (31) out
* The RCB went for a run that was never there and was run out as Ben Cutting hit his stumps with a direct throw from deep.* RCB 111/2 in 11 overs
* Couple of fours from Jadhav off Nehra. He is timing it really well .
* Head and Jadhav has ben steady but RCB need more boundaries. After Head and Jadhav, they have Watson waiting. He can also go for the maximum.
* RCB 98/2 in 10 overs, need 110 off 60 balls
* SRH end on 207/4 against RCB with Ben Cutting providing some late sparks.
* SIX! Cutting hits Watson out of the park.
* Yuvraj (62) out. SRH 190/4
* SIX! Yuvraj gets to his fifty with a massive six. He took just 23 balls.
* Yuvraj hits a four again! This time Tymal Mills is the victim. He reaches 46 off 21 balls
* Yuvraj has reached 42 off just 19 balls. This is sheer dominance.
* Strategic timeout . SRH 151/3 in 15.2 overs (Yuvraj 40*)
* Wicket! Chahal gets Henriques and the partnership finally comes to an end. Henriques goes for 52, caught by Sachin Baby. SRH's score reads 151/3.
* Wicket! Dhawan comes down the track, did not get hold of that and the man at long on makes no mistake. Stuart Binny strikes for Bangalore.
* Stuart Binny comes on and Dhawan welcomes him to the crease with a boundary.
* Great over from Aniket. Just gave away four singles in that over.
* Aniket comes back on for RCB.
* Sunrisers Hyderabad 84 for 1 in 9 overs
* Moises Henriques is the new man in and gets off the mark in style. Four more!
* Wicket: Aniket follows it up with a ball wide outside off-stump and all Warner could do is to hit it straight to point. So first wicket for RCB.
* Warner times it through point for a boundary. First runs on the board. Warner and SRH are away in style.
* David Warner to take the first ball. Tymal Mills with the new ball.
* So both the openers are out there in the middle.
* Sunrisers have won both the matches last season against Bangalore.
* Head to Head: Sunrisers Hyderabad have won five times compared to four by Royal Challengers Bangalore
