Kanpur - The Sunrisers Hyderabad clinched a spot in the playoffs with an emphatic 8 wicket victory over the Gujarat Lions at Kanpur's Green Park.
The Lions looked set to post a big total after a great start
but collapsed from 111 without loss to 154 all out.
It was Dwayne Smith (54) and Ishan Kishan (61) got their
innings off to a flyer before Rashid Khan (3/34) and Mohammed Siraj (4/32)
ripped the Lions apart.
After the great start only Ravindra Jadeja (20*) could get
into double figures and in the end the target looked to be a boatload light.
The chase suffered just one hiccup as Praveen Kumar struck
twice in his second over to remove Shikhar Dhawan (18) and Moises Henriques
(4).
Opener and skipper David Warner played a more restrained
innings than we are accustomed to seeing hitting 69 off 52 balls.
Vijay Shankar (63*) came good when it counted smacking nine
fours and seeing the Sunrisers through to an eight wicket win that has secured
them a playoff spot and may yet get them into the first qualifier where the
winners go straight into the final.
Lion's skipper Suresh Raina has had to deal with a lot of
disappointment this season but feels the team learned a lot saying after the
match: "We don't have those good experienced bowled, credit to other teams
who executed their plans really well.
"This year was a learning point. Thanks to all the
Gujarat fans, Kanpur has always been good for us. Disappointing season. The ground
staff work so hard in the heat. We didn't bat well."
His opposite number Warner will be looking to guide the
Sunrisers to a second consecutive IPL Final, he said: "Would have been
(had they been eliminated).
They got a flier, I was scratching my head there for a
second. When we got wickets back to back, it showed the wicket was slowing a
bit.
"Credit to the bowlers, Siraj, the way they brought it
back was fantastic. Some fantastic bowling units around in the country. Shows
what talent you have here, especially in the T20s and ODIs. Get a little bit of
luck, trying to bat with each other.
"A bit of pressure on us to make that top four. 100%,
but we knew two quick wickets. It's about not worrying about the next couple of
games, take each game as it comes. Keep backing our skills."
Man of the match Siraj credited Bhuvneshwar Kumar with helping
him as a bowler: "In a pressure match, I got the Man of the Match. Wicket
was slow, that's why had to take pace off the ball. Bhuvi bhai tells me what to
bowl."
The result turns Sunday's clash between Rising Pune Supergiant and the Kings XI Punjab into a knockout match.