JONNY Bairstow fell three shy of an Indian Premier League century before Rashid Khan claimed three wickets as Sunrisers Hyderabad thrashed Kings XI Punjab by 69 runs.

An opening stand of 160 between David Warner (52) and Bairstow (97) put Sunrisers firmly in control, though they would have been slightly disappointed to finish on 201-6 given the platform laid for them.

Kings XI required something special if they were to chase down 202 and a 17-ball half-century from Nicholas Pooran (77) certainly gave them hope.

However, he was one of three victims for Rashid (3-12), whose stingy four-over spell proved pivotal as bottom side Kings XI collapsed to be dismissed for 132 inside 17 overs.

There were five wides in the first over of the match, setting the tone for an innings that was only slightly rescued from a Kings XI perspective by Ravi Bishnoi (3-29) and Arshdeep Singh (2-33), as Sunrisers scored only five boundaries in the last 38 balls.

Kings XI were three down inside seven overs, the dangerous KL Rahul – the leading run-scorer in this IPL – falling for 11, but Pooran’s brutal hitting ensured Sunrisers were far from home and hosed.

However, Kings XI slumped from 105-3 to 132 all out, with Sunrisers claiming a win that moved them up to third in the table.

Warner hit five boundaries from his first 14 balls and went on to make his 50th IPL half-century.

However, it was opening partner Bairstow’s boundary-laden knock that really caught the eye, the England batsman smashing seven fours and six maximums in a fine effort.

West Indian Pooran scored the fastest half-century of this IPL by bringing up the milestone in just 17 deliveries.

Prior to the tournament he said making the most rapid 50 was on his agenda, and boy did he deliver as he smashed Abdul Samad for three sixes and a four to get there.

Pooran also has three of the five biggest sixes in this edition of the IPL – all over 100 metres.(Sportsmax).