Hyderabad defends 132 in beating Punjab in IPL low-scorer
HYDERABAD, India (AP) — Sunrisers Hyderabad successfully defended a low total in the Indian Premier League for the second match in a row after beating Kings XI Punjab by 13 runs on Thursday.
Punjab's powerful batting lineup, which included the in-form Chris Gayle and Lokesh Rahul up front, was bowled out for 119 in 19.2 overs.
That was while chasing Hyderabad's 132-6, which owed some to Punjab's poor fielding.
"It's nice to defend these totals, but we want to be smarter with the bat," Hyderabad captain Kane Williamson said.
"It's not about getting 180 always; get 145, 155, and we can use our bowling to put them under pressure."
Hyderabad top-scorer Manish Pandey was dropped three times while making 54, and Yusuf Pathan (21 not out) also got a life in his 21 not out.
"From where we were, we should have put this game away. It's disappointing," Punjab captain Ravichandran Ashwin said.
"We let ourselves down in the field as well ... always difficult to catch under lights, but there are no excuses. We are professionals and we have to work harder to get back in."
Williamson, who lost the toss at home and was sent in to bat, went for a rare duck when he spliced seamer Ankit Rajpoot to mid-wicket.
Rajpoot, who recorded the first five-wicket haul in this IPL, then had Shikhar Dhawan squared up with an away swinger and got a thick outside edge to first slip. He followed with Wriddhiman Saha, who got a top edge and Hyderabad struggling at 3-27.
Shakib Al Hasan (28) and Pandey put on 52 runs for the fourth wicket before Rajpoot returned and claimed two more wickets in the last over. He clean-bowled Pandey with a Yorker, and Mohammad Nabi holed out at long off off the last ball. Rajpoot finished with 5-14.
In the chase, Gayle and Rahul, who made explosive starts in the previous games, were subdued by some tidy bowling by seamers Sandeep Sharma (2-17) and Sidarth Kaul (0-25).
Both batsmen fell in successive overs after putting on 55 runs off 47 balls. Gayle top-edged Basil Thampi's short delivery, and Rahul's offstump was knocked back by Rashid Khan's brilliant legspin.
Rashid went on to dismiss Karun Nair and Ashwin for 3-19, and Shakib hurried through the middle order by claiming the wickets of Mayank Agarwal and Aaron Finch.
Sandeep returned and earned both of his wickets in one over, while Thampi clean-bowled Rajpoot as Punjab lost its last eight wickets for just 42 runs.
Hyderabad bowled out defending champions Mumbai Indians for 87 runs in the last match to win by 31 runs after it scored only 118 runs.
Hyderabad and Punjab have five victories in seven matches. Chennai Super Kings also has five wins but has played one match less.
