IPL Results 2016: Sunrisers vs. Lions Score, Updated T20 Points Table, Schedule
The Hyderabad Sunrisers continued their excellent recent form on Friday, notching a comfortable five-wicket victory against a struggling Gujarat Lions outfit.
After being put in to bat, the Lions failed to build any momentum, and following a flurry of early wickets, a diligent unbeaten 51 from Aaron Finch saw the team stagger to 126 for six. In response, Shikhar Dhawan managed the chase superbly with 47 not out; the Sunrisers notched the winning runs with six balls still to bowl.
Here is how the standings are shaping up following this win for the Sunrisers, the matches to look forward to in the coming days and a closer look at how this clash panned out in Deccan.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | +0.359 |
| Gujarat Lions | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | -0.267 |
| Delhi Daredevils | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | +0.407 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | +0.115 |
| Mumbai Indians | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 10 | -0.009 |
| Rising Pune Supergiants | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | +0.181 |
| Royal Challengers Bangalore | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -0.031 |
| Kings XI Punjab | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -0.753 |
| Saturday, May 7 | 11:30 a.m. BST/8 p.m. IST | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs. Rising Pune Supergiants |
| Saturday, May 7 | 3:30 p.m. BST/8 p.m. IST | Kings XI Punjab vs. Delhi Daredevils |
| Sunday, May 8 | 11:30 a.m. BST/8 p.m. IST | Mumbai Indians vs. Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| Sunday, May 8 | 3:30 p.m. BST/8 p.m. IST | Kolkata Knight Riders vs. Gujarat Lions |
| Monday, May 9 | 3:30 p.m. BST/8 p.m. IST | Kings XI Punjab vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore |
Hyderabad vs. Gujarat
Hyderabad, 129 for 5 (19.0 overs, Dhawan 47*, Bravo 2 for 14) beat Gujarat, 126 for 6 (Finch 51*, Rahman 2 for 17) by five wickets
The biggest strength of the Gujarat Lions in their debut IPL season has been their power at the top of the batting order. But their key men failed to fire in this one, as they got off to the slowest start ever in an IPL match.
It took them a whopping 14 balls to get on the board and off the 16th ball, with just two scored and Dwayne Smith dismissed for one. Cricket statistician Bharath Seervi put their awful start into context:
With two overs wasted and a key man gone, things didn’t get much better for the Lions. Suresh Raina sought to counter-attack, although he was out for a 10-ball 20. Then Dinesh Karthik departed for a duck after a stunning catch from Kane Williamson, before Brendon McCullum, usually so destructive, was out for just seven after facing 19 balls.
Credit should go the Hyderabad bowlers, particularly Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ashish Nehra who kept things tidy up front. But this was a poor batting effort from Gujarat, one that the determination of Finch ultimately salvaged.
The Australian had to battle through against some savvy bowling, but he kept his composure well whereas so many of his team-mates played erratic strokes.
A 45-run partnership between Finch and Dwayne Bravo eventually came to an end thanks to a stunning catch from substitute fielder Vijay Shankar, though. Here’s a look at the brilliant effort, per the tournament's Twitter feed:
Finch gritted his way through to the end, with his 51 coming from just 42 balls. But it was a target the Sunrisers would have fancied chasing down with plenty to spare.
David Warner certainly did, and he came out swinging to put on 24 from 17 balls before being dismissed. And while Williamson (six) and Moises Henriques (14) fell cheaply, the opener Dhawan anchored the innings expertly.
Scoring was still tough going on a testing wicket, although the Sunrisers always seemed to have this one under control, even when Yuvraj Singh fell for an ugly five.
Deepak Hooda came to the crease alongside the opener then and immediately sought to inject some impetus into the chase with Dhawan still played reservedly. It was a balance that got them over the line despite the former's dismissal for 18, with Dhawan eventually knocking off the runs required in the penultimate over with consecutive boundaries.
The Hyderabad Twitter feed paid tribute to their match-winner as he smashed the crucial runs:
After a bright beginning to the IPL in their first appearance in the competition, Gujarat have now suffered three defeats in a row. They remain in second spot, having played more matches than anyone, but captain Raina needs to do something to arrest this loss of momentum.
Meanwhile, the Sunrisers showed the value of a balanced bowling attack here, and Warner will be delighted by the manner in which they stifled the power players in the Lions’ XI. It’s five wins from six matches for this team now, who seem to be clicking at the perfect point in the campaign.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
