Sunrisers deal blow to Punjab's IPL campaign

MOHALI: Sunrisers Hyderabad delivered what was potentially the knockout blow to Kings XI Punjab's Indian Premier League campaign with a convincing 30-run win at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium here yesterday.
The win, which took them to fifth place – behind Royal Challengers Bangalore only on net run rate – was set up by the batting of Parthiv Patel and Thisara Perera. Darren Sammy and Dale Steyn finished off the task with the ball.
On a day where both sides strengthened their bowling attacks, Punjab's knowledge of local conditions helped them torment the Hyderabad batting line-up.
Hyderabad, who have failed to establish any sort of momentum at the top, were reduced to 52 for 5 after just nine overs. Sandeep Sharma, making his IPL debut, did the bulk of the damage by picking up three wickets.
It took a determined effort from Parthiv (61) and Karan Sharma (22) to lay the platform for the final onslaught that saw them finish with 150 for 7. Parthiv, who batted through to the 19th over, and Karan stitched together a 42-run stand for the sixth wicket and in the process ensured that their bowlers had some sort of total to defend.
A late blitz from Perera, who made the most of a dropped chance by Mandeep Singh when he had made just one, took the total from decent to imposing. He smashed an unbeaten 19-ball 32 as Hyderabad took 74 off the last seven overs.
Steyn was expected to do maximum damage with the ball on a green-tinged pitch, and he delivered almost immediately, dismissing Mandeep for a duck in the first over.
Adam Gilchrist and Shaun Marsh upped the ante with an array of aggressive strokes, but Hyderabad found a hero in Sammy. The West Indies Twenty20 captain, introduced in the seventh over, ripped through the heart of the batting with four wickets, including those of Marsh (18) and Gilchrist (26) off consecutive deliveries.
When David Miller fell two overs later, Punjab had sunk to 51 for four, with an inexperienced lower middle order having to fend for themselves as the asking rate surging past 11 an over.
R Sathish gave Punjab a glimmer of hope by smashing Amit Mishra for two sixes and a four in one over, but Luke Pomersbach's inability to produce the big shot bottled one end up, making a final surge next to impossible. With just three matches remaining, their chances of progress are miniscule.