IPL 2020: SRH vs KXIP Review – Openers, Rashid set up comprehensive win

Well, Kings XI Punjab just aren’t getting it right in this IPL season. Sunrisers Hyderabad, on the other hand, have recovered well from those early losses to win their third game in six outings. It was due to their openers, especially Jonny Bairstow on the day. The England cricketer slammed 97 while Warner registered his ninth consecutive fifty against KXIP to propel SRH to 201 in their 20 overs.

KXIP were never in the chase despite Nicholas Pooran slamming sixes at will in the middle. Mayank Agarwal got run-out after which KL Rahul followed him. The KXIP skipper scored a painstaking 11 off 16 balls. Pooran walked out at this stage and got to his half-century in no time off just 17 balls. But wickets kept falling at the other end and no one supported the Caribbean left-hander. Eventually, Pooran also got out for 77 and soon KXIP were bundled out for 132 runs in the 17th over to lose the game by 69 runs.

Turning Points

Warner-Bairstow onslaught: When the openers go berserk, few teams end up losing. Warner and Bairstow were simply brilliant in the 15 overs they batted together. The duo looked at its absolute best and complemented each other well. Bairstow took the attack to the opposition while Warner played second fiddle to him. There was no respite to KXIP bowlers and the duo ended up adding 160 runs in 15 overs for the first wicket. That definitely made the difference in the game.

Rashid Khan’s spell: This man just somehow manages to weave his magic. Give him some more runs and he threatens a lot with his bowling. When Pooran was going all guns blazing, SRH needed their best bowler to do his job. And the Afghanistan leggie didn’t disappoint. He first bowled a couple of quiet overs and then came for his second spell to nip out Pooran to seal the deal for his team. His figures of 3/12 were the best in the match.

Records/Personal Milestones

• Jonny Bairstow and David Warner completed 1000 runs batting together
• Warner scored his 9th consecutive fifty against KXIP in IPL
• Warner also became the first batsman to score fifty 50+ scores in the IPL
• Pooran scored the fastest fifty of IPL 2020 and second fastest fifty for KXIP ever

Way Ahead

It is a quick turn-around for KXIP with their next match on Saturday afternoon against Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi. SRH will face Rajasthan Royals who are also struggling at the moment.