Despite being a new team, Sunrisers Hyderabad played like a settled outfit in their debut Indian Premier League match against Pune Warriors last night, said the side's pace spearhead Dale Steyn.
Defending a small total of 126 for six, Steyn grabbed three wickets in a sensational over to help Sunrisers Hyderabad spank Pune Warriors by 22 runs last night.
"I thought we played very well. We fought well which is a good sign for a new team. In a new franchise, it's normally about discovering yourself, but we played like a team that has been together for long. It was a fantastic win," Steyn reporters at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here.
More From This Section
"Like I said earlier, we bowled fantastically well and got ourselves back into the game. At one stage, we were probably looking at 6 runs an over, may be two big overs to get us to 150. Even 140 plus would have been a great score on this particular wicket. To defend 126 is good," Steyn said.
"It was probably a more bowler-friendly wicket. It was not a free-flowing wicket. You could not just go there and play your shots. The ball was not quite coming onto the bat.
"I think we bowled well, batted well, assessed conditions pretty well. It was a good fighting game," he said.