The Sunrisers Hyderabad registered a comprehensive victory over table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders at home by 48 runs courtesy of a fine knock of 126 runs off 59 balls from their skipper David Warner.
Riding on Warner's heroics, the Sunrisers posted a mammoth total of 209/3 in their 20 overs. The KKR bowlers seemed absolutely clueless about how to stop the rampaging Aussie batsman. Even when he departed after his magnificent knock, KKR couldn't stem the flow of runs as Williamson scored 40 runs off 25 deliveries in the latter stages of the innings.
Kolkata in reply managed only 161/7 and thus lost the match by 48 runs. Robin Uthappa was their top scorer with 53 runs to his name off just 28 deliveries. Manish Pandey also contributed with 39(29) but the task eventually turned out to be too much for them as they could not find any sort of support from the other batsmen.
There were a lot of things that didn't go right for the Knight Riders that eventually resulted in their loss. Let us now have a look at five of those important factors.
#1 Inability to dismiss David Warner early
SRH skipper David Warner took the KKR bowlers to the cleaners as he registered the highest individual score by a captain in IPL history; an innings of 126 runs off 59 deliveries star-studded with 10 fours and 8 sixes.
That innings took KKR completely by surprise as Warner went on a rampage right from the start. In the previous matches, the Aussie had played the anchor’s role for his side but he completely changed his tactics today, bringing a much-needed surprise element that helped pummel the table toppers.
Moreover, KKR spilled two chances to dismiss the diminutive batsman and both times it was Chris Woakes who dropped the catch. Although it was Woakes himself who later on went to claim Warner's wicket, the damage had already been done by then.
#2 Spinners failed to stem the run flow
Spinners are KKR's biggest strength and they leaked runs at over 12 per over. Kuldeep Yadav, Sunil Narine and Yusuf Pathan collectively went for 97 runs in 8 overs and that is where they lost the match. Warner didn't allow any of the spinners to settle down as he counter-attacked and smashed them all around the park.
It all started with Pathan who was smashed for 17 runs in his only over. Next, it was Narine's turn as he too got hammered for 37 runs in his 3 overs. Kuldeep Yadav also conceded 43 runs in his 4 overs as he bowled lengths which Warner dispatched with ease.
#3 KKR’s openers fell cheaply
Openers Gautam Gambhir and Sunil Narine have given KKR good starts more often than not. However, they lost both of them cheaply this time around. It was Narine who departed first for a score of just 1 when he offered a simple catch to David Warner off Mohammad Siraj's bowling.
It was the skipper Gautam Gambhir who followed next for a score of just 11 when he gave away an easy catch to Rashid Khan off Siddharth Kaul's bowling. Thus, chasing a target of 210, KKR lost both of their openers for just 12 runs.
#4 Always behind the asking rate
Although Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey resurrected KKR's innings with a 78-run partnership for the third wicket, they always lagged behind the required run rate of 10.5 runs per over.
To make matters worse, it kept soaring as the innings progressed. Uthappa tried his best to get things under control with his innings of 53 off just 28 deliveries. However, it turned out to be too much of a task for him as he eventually succumbed to the pressure.
#5 Losing wickets at regular intervals
Whenever it seemed like a partnership was growing, KKR lost an important wicket. First, it was Uthappa and Pandey’s partnership of 78 runs for the third wicket that revived their hopes. Just when they put their foot on the accelerator, Pandey threw away his wicket by offering a simple return catch to Bhuvneshwar Kumar off his own bowling.
Yusuf Pathan was the next to walk out but at the other end, Uthappa played some big shots and brought up his fifty in style. Both batsmen were looking dangerous. However, Uthappa perished soon after giving away a simple catch to long-off off Mohammad Siraj's bowling.
There were no successful partnerships after that as Pathan, Sheldon Jackson and Colin de Grandhomme departed in quick succession.
