Hyderabad: Jonny Bairstow (114, 56b, 12×4, 7×6) and David Warner (100, 55, 5×4, 5×6) smashed sensational centuries to guide Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to a comprehensive 118-run win over struggling Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in an IPL encounter here Sunday.
The duo produced a record record 185-run first-wicket partnership to post a mammoth 231/2 after being put into bat. With a gigantic target to eclipse, RCB needed a rollicking start but the visitors’ chase never got going as they kept on losing wickets to be bundled out for 113 in 19.5 overs.
Playing his first IPL match this season, Afghan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi (4/11) did the early damage as he picked up three quick wickets – Parthiv Patel (11), Shimron Hetmyer (nine) and dangerous AB de Villiers (one) – as RCB slumped to 22/3 by the end of the fourth over.
To make matters worse for RCB, Sandeep Sharma (3/19) then dismissed skipper Virat Kohli (three) in the first delivery of the seventh over. As if that was not enough, Shivam Dubey was run out in the very next ball as RCB’s chase fell by the wayside. At that stage the visitors slumped to 35/6 in 7.3 overs.
From there on, it was almost an impossible task for RCB to get back into the game and Colin de Grandhomme (37) and 16-year-old Prayas Ray Barman (19), the youngest player to make his IPL debut, just did their bit to delay the inevitable.
Earlier, Kohli’s decision to put Sunrisers in backfired as all his bowlers were taken to cleaners by Bairstow and Warner who became the first pair in IPL history to post three consecutive hundred-run stands.
Brief scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad 231/2 (Jonny Bairstow 114, David Warner 100) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 113 (Colin de Grandhomme 37; Mohammed Nabi 4/11, Sandeep Sharma 3/19) by 118 runs.