Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi anchored Sunrisers Hyderabad to record a five-wicket win over hosts Delhi Capitals and register their third consecutive victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Thursday.
Nabi picked two wickets with the ball and also played a crucial 9 ball 17 run unbeaten knock towards the end to help Sunrisers keep their winning run intact. After the win, Sunrisers have moved to the top of the eight team standings with six points from four games.
Chasing just 130 runs, opener Jonny Bairstow smashed a 28 ball 48 to set the foundation but Sunrisers lost five wickets for 48 runs to slip to 111/5 by the end of the 16th over.
Nabi and Yusuf Pathan held their nerves to take Sunrisers home, scoring 131 for five in 18.3 overs.
Earlier while fielding, Sunrisers bowled effortlessly on a slow and dry wicket to restrict Delhi to 129/8. It was skipper Shreyas Iyer, who emerged as the highest scorer for Delhi with a steady 41 ball 43.
Sunrisers didn’t lose any wicket in the powerplay, scoring 62 for no loss.
Bairstow was the first to go, in the seventh over bowled by Rahul Tewatia.
Rabada claimed Warner’s, soon Manish Pandey at 10 , Vijay Shankar at 16 and Deepak Hooda on 10 were quick to join Warner at the stands. This moment give Delhi a chance of a comeback.
Earlier, Sunrisers bowlers exploited the conditions well, however skipper Iyer tried to anchor the innings but he didn’t get support from the other end. It would have been more embarrassing for Delhi, if not for the cameos from Morris and Axar Patel.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Nabi picked two wickets each, restricting Delhi. Dhawan and Shaw were picked up cheaply. A lot was expected from Rishabh Pant but he too departed in the 10th over. In the 14th over, Manish Pandey took a superb catch at point to remove Colin Ingram. Morris blasted two fours to give some momentum to Delhi’s innings but Rashid Khan got rid off Iyer. Soon, Delhi were reduced to 93 for six.
Axar Patel tried his best, smashing a four and two sixes in the last over to take Delhi close to 130 run mark.