Yuvraj Singh and Ben Cutting combined for a flurry of crucial late boundaries as Sunrisers Hyderabad all but secured their place in the Indian Premier League knockout stages with a seven-wicket victory over Kings XI Punjab yesterday.Having been set a target of 180 in Chandigarh thanks largely to a 56-ball 96 from Kings XI opener Hashim Amla, the Sunrisers required 39 runs from the final three overs after Axar Patel (1-26) conceded just two in the 17th set of six.
That equation became significantly easier when Yuvraj (42 not out from 24 balls) and Cutting (21 not out from 11) each struck sixes off Mohit Sharma (0-40) in the next over, which went for 19 runs.
And the Sunrisers ultimately made it over the line with two balls to spare, Cutting swiping Sharma to the deep midwicket fence for four to complete the chase. As a result, Hyderabad are two points clear at the top of the table, while the Kings XI’s slim hopes of qualifying are over.
Punjab’s loss was tough on Amla, who underpinned a total of 179-4 with a superb innings featuring 14 fours and two maximums.
The South Africa international shared 54 with Wriddhiman Saha (27) and 65 with Gurkeerat Singh (27) before falling to Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2-32) in the final over.
An opening partnership of 68 in eight overs between skipper David Warner (52) and Shikhar Dhawan (25) gave the Sunrisers a solid base in reply.
Dhawan was run out by a Mohit direct hit and Warner departed in unusual fashion when he inadvertently stepped on his stumps playing back to Axar.
However, Deepak Hooda added 34 from 22 deliveries and the Sunrisers were able to celebrate after Yuvraj and Cutting found the necessary boundaries in the closing overs.(Omnisport)