Swashbuckling opener David Warner slammed a whirlwind 50-ball 92 to set up a comfortable 15-run win for Sunrisers Hyderabad over Royal Challengers Bangalore in their IPL match here today.
Warner hit nine fours and five sixes and shared a 124-run stand for the second wicket with Kane Williamson (50) to power Hyderabad to an imposing 194-5 after they were inserted by Bangalore following a delayed start due to rain.
The hosts then returned to restrict Bangalore for 179 for 6 and notch up their fourth win in seven matches. It was RCB's fourth loss in six matches.
For Hyderabad, all the five bowlers -- Ashish Nehra (1/32), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/36), Mustafizur Rahman (1/34), Barinder Sran (1/36) and Moises Henriques (1/40) picked up one wicket each.
Chasing for the first time this season, RCB lost their first wicket when skipper Virat Kohli (14) stepped out and tried to play an uppish shot only to hold out to Ashish Reddy at backward point.
Lokesh Rahul smashed a 28-ball 51 studded with six boundaries and a six but he was dismissed by Henriques on the last ball of the 10th over when he tried to run the ball down to third man only to end up giving a catch to wicket-keeper Naman Ojha as RCB slipped to 83-2.
AB de Villiers had conjured up hopes of a successful runchase for a brief period but he was soon caught at long-on by a diving Williamson. The South African blasted 47 runs off 32 balls with the help of three fours and two sixes.
Shane Watson too was back to the hut when he tried to steal a second run and Sran's throw found him short of wicket in the 12th over.
Sachin Baby (27) and Kedar Jadhav (25 not out) tried their bit but it was too little and too late in the end.
Earlier, Warner played a captain's knock, sharing a 124-run stand with Williamson (50) to lay the foundation for a huge score.
Playing his first game in IPL-9 after recovering from an injury, Williamson was perfect foil to Warner in an innings where he blasted seven boundaries in 38 balls.
Australian allrounder Moises Henriques then provided the late charge with a 14-ball 31 laced with three sixes and a boundary to take Hyderabad close to the 200-mark.
For Bangalore, Kane Richardson picked two wickets, while Shane Watson (1/33) and Tabraiz Shamsi (1/39) snapped one each at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
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Opening the innings Shikhar Dhawan (11) blasted a couple of fours off Watson and Parvez Rasool before becoming a victim of Richardson in the fourth over. Looking to work a ball across the line he ended up giving a catch to the bowler.
However, Warner continued his rampaging form as he cracked a couple of boundaries of Richardson in the first five overs before picking up 16 runs off Harshal Patel which included two fours and a six.
Varon Aaron also bled 11 runs each in the ninth and 13th overs as Warner and Williamson clobbered him for a couple of fours.
Warner exploded in the 15th over when he took Richardson to the cleaners, cracking two sixes and a four to amass 19 runs and also bring up his 100-run partnership off 65 balls with Williamson for the second wicket.
It was Tabraiz Shamsi who ended Warner's innings when he had him caught at long-off by AB de Villiers when the Australian looked to clear the ropes again to trigger a celebration.
Williamson completed a deserving fifty in the third ball of the 17th over but he was dismissed by Watson a ball later when the New Zealand skipper tried to play a short ball over the infield and ended up giving a faint nick to wicket-keeper Lokesh Rahul.
In the next over, Henriques blasted two sixes after Richardson had dismissed newman Naman Ojha who miscued a shot and ended up giving a simple catch to de Villiers at long-on.
Henriques smashed a four and six in the next over as well to amass 14 runs to take Hyderabad close to 200-mark.
