The first encounter between the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Royal Challengers Bangalore amassed over 400 runs in the 40 overs that were played. That match might have been a one-sided affair, but the crowd enjoyed it nonetheless—thanks to the raining sixes.
This encounter didn’t produce as many sixes like the previous one, but this was a tighter affair than that—and people would perhaps prefer this more. SRH batted first this time and Warner made sure that they didn’t collapse like in the last game. He was helped by Kane Williamson and then Moises Henriques.
For RCB, Lokesh Rahul and De Villiers played well, but it wasn’t enough as SRH bowlers did an admirable job.
There were plenty of memorable moments in the match that don't fade away, quite like the Axe Signature range of body perfumes. Here are 5 of the best:
Warner’s wrath
Some players are just made to entertain the crowd. David Warner is one such piece of work. His IPL campaign has been beyond incredible this season and the orange cap on his head is a testament to that fact.
He continued his incredible form against the Royal Challengers Bangalore with a terrific knock of 92 off just 50 balls. The best part of his innings was that he hit the ball all around the park while exercising all the shots he had in his book—and that amounts to quite an impressive number.
His innings gave the SRH a perfect platform to make a big total—and that is what they did.
Williamson’s debut
The Sunrisers Hyderabad perhaps have the best batting line-up in the tournament along with RCB—at least a fully-fit side does. Before this game, both Yuvraj Singh and Kane Williamson were unavailable and the team was heavily reliant on its openers.
However, all that changed with the arrival of Kane Williamson—the man who could go down as the best Kiwi player of all time by the time he hangs up his boots.
As he played his first IPL game of the season against the RCB, he smacked a half-century in 38 balls to announce his entrance to the world. With his arrival, the Sunrisers are a much stronger unit.
Henriques cyclone
With the arrival of Williamson, it seems like Henriques himself has been fired up. In this version of the IPL, he has been less than impressive—especially with his batting.
As the number 3 slot was taken by the Kiwi batsman, Henriques was brought in at number 4—a slight, but wonderful, demotion from the number 3 spot—and it worked perfectly.
He slogged his way to a 14-ball 31—an innings that gave the Sunrisers the extra edge in the end.
Lokesh Rahul’s start
As Lokesh Rahul and Virat Kohli came to open the innings, all eyes were on the latter—and why not? The Indian Test team's captain is a superstar and perhaps the greatest player of his generation along with AB de Villiers.
However, Kohli fell for only 14 runs off 17 balls—something that is a very rare sight.
But that only made Lokesh Rahul more motivated to take the mantle and get going. In an innings that spanned over 28 balls, he scored 51 runs to give his team a steady start. It all seemed to be going well until…
Third-time lucky Barinder Sran
You are bowling to the greatest player in the world and he miscues a shot to the sky. An easy catch would enlist your name beside his as a wicket-taker, making it a memorable day for you. However, somehow, the catch is dropped.
You move on.
Another over, same batsman, another attempt. Another drop. You feel like the unluckiest player in the world—and that is exactly how Barinder Sran felt after AB de Villiers was dropped twice on his bowling.
With the South African slowly metamorphosing to beast mode, Barinder was given the ball again—and the former miscued once again. This time, however, the safest hands on the field—Kane Williamson's—was under it and made sure that the bowler wasn’t denied for the third time.
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