IPL 2018, KXIP vs SRH: 5 reasons why Hyderabad lost

It was Match 16 from the eleventh edition of Vivo IPL that saw two of the most sought out teams lock horns in a battle to get to the top of the table. The finest bowling attack of Sunrisers Hyderabad was to take on the explosive batting line-up of Kings XI Punjab at Mohali.

After winning the toss, Kings decided to bat first on a flat deck as they posted a total of 193 for the loss of 3 wickets. It was Chris Gayle, who came to the party to notch up his 21st T20 century.

With a daunting task in hand, Hyderabad relied heavily upon the likes of Dhawan and Williamson to give them a blistering start. But nothing seemed to go their way with Dhawan retiring hurt in the first over itself. Hyderabad always played the catch-up game as they were never in the game and handed the home team a victory by 15 runs.

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#1 No wickets for Hyderabad bowlers in the powerplay

Usually known for their good bowling upfront, Sunrisers boasts of bowlers who can dismantle any batting line up on their given day. However, this time they were up against an opposition that featured who’s who in their ranks. The dynamic duo of Rahul and Gayle came up with a cautious approach to open the innings.

Aware of the threats from the bowling unit, Punjab managed to score runs at a decent rate and most importantly without losing a wicket in the first six overs. It was something that is not seen with Hyderabad as they failed to strike early breakthroughs despite the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rashid Khan featuring in their attack.

#2 Off day at the office for Rashid Khan

It was one of those days at the office when even the best in business saw himself on the receiving end. Rashid Khan, being the best T20 bowler in the world was hammered all over the park by the universe boss in Chris Gayle.

Chris had a demoralizing effect on the bowler as he stroked four sixes in a single over against Rashid. As a result, the leg-spinner was more wavered in his line of attack to concede runs at a rate of almost 14 per over. He also registered his worst spell in the IPL history to record 55 runs in his 4 overs.

#3 Gayle Storm in Mohali

It seemed that the Sunrisers landed in lion’s den at the wrong time. Being the favourites even before the game, Hyderabad had a slight edge over the Kings as per the past records. But fate had something else written for them as they were to face their first defeat in the season.

It was a game that witnessed a Gayle storm as he paved his way to a magnificent century in just 58 balls. This was on the expected lines after he smashed a quickfire 50 in his first outing with the bat in the previous game.

In his blistering knock that included 11 massive sixes and a single boundary, Gayle went about a strike rate of 165. This was his style of replying to the negligence that he encountered in the auction before the league.

#4 Dhawan retiring hurt in the first over

In the quest to chase a mammoth total, the Orange Army expected some fireworks early on from their dashing opener in Shikhar Dhawan. It was though, an unlikely incident that saw Dhawan getting retired hurt in the first over of their innings.

On the second last bowl of the first over, Dhawan tried to work the ball away towards the leg side. But it was an attempted bouncer from Barinder Sran that went on to sharply hit him on his elbow. He was in severe pain and had to leave the field in the most demanding situations.

#5 Manish Pandey's struggles in the middle overs

With a price tag of Rs. 11 crore against his name, it was always demanding for the middle order batsman to set the season on the blaze. But it was the pressure to justify his tag that got better of the Karnataka-born batsman.

In the matches so far, Pandey hasn’t fared well as he has struggled to get going from the first ball. The similar occurred in the same game as he couldn’t contribute to his team’s success.

Despite his knock of 57 from 42 balls, he was not able to play the aggressor’s role to see his side over the line. A batsman of such a calibre is just an innings away to get back into his blistering form.