IPL SRL | SRH vs KKR Evaluation Chart - Jonny Bairstow fire propels SRH to comfortable win

Dinesh Karthik won the toss and elected to bat first despite knowing the might of SRH pacers at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium and it eventually turned out to be an inspiring decision. With Shubman Gill and Sunil Narine setting up the base, Andre Russell and Pat Cummins latched onto it to give a great total for the visitors. Russell was at his boisterous best, scoring 23 runs off 9 balls, but the way Pat Cummins, the most priced cricketer in the league, hit that cameo that included a 19-run over against Bhuvneshwar Kumar, it took the breath away as the Kolkata-based franchise reached a total of 189 runs. 

Chasing a daunting total of 190 runs would have been tricky but David Warner and Jonny Bairstow had a calming effect from the outset. They divided the game in three sub-parts while negotiating that in a phased manner. It turned out to be an effective strategy, with the game producing interesting results in the entire course of the match. While Warner was dismissed after crossing the 50-run mark, Bairstow continued his onslaught, to be supported by Manish Pandey at the end. So much so that the team that was heavily dependent on Kane Williamson in their last game, didn’t mind a 15-run innings today.  

Losing both Andre Russell and Rahul Tripathi in one over eventually became a turning point in the game. Look, Cummins was doing well at one end but Russell could have added a bit more. The wicket was really flat, as evident from the scoring pattern, and had Russell batted for the last couple of overs, KKR might have crossed the 200-run target.

While Cummins bowling upfront made sense from all conceivable sides, the fact that KKR lacked a middle-over negotiator, which forced them to resort to Kuldeep Yadav and Andre Russell time and again. The lack of firepower from either of the two and Sunil Narine’s reducing wicket-taking ability played a huge role and that combined to give KKR a middle-over low. 

Kolkata have developed a consistent plan for their powerplay, a combination of attack against spin and pace bowling, with roles assigned to specific batsmen. A strategy planned in 2017 is still reaping dividends as Narine, this time partnering Shubman Gill, hit out from the word go as the team managed to score 60 runs.

If ever there is a game of consistent T20 scoring pattern, this is it. 60 runs in the powerplay, another 60 runs in the middle overs, with 69 runs coming off at the death. Well, after going unscathed in the powerplay, KKR did keep the sanity to an extent, although they will be slightly disappointed, as things could have been much much better. By dismissing three batsmen in the period, SRH partly dominated the proceedings.

Six wickets gained but 69 runs conceded - well, Sunrisers Hyderabad just had a dramatic day on the field. Inflicting that damage was Russell and Cummins when wickets were tumbling at the other end like ninepins. Sandeep Sharma conceded 26 runs in his last two overs but bagged four wickets. He put a string on but could things really have been any worse?

There were fleeting moments which raised the decibel levels today but that was not enough for the two sides to have given riveting contests. But I will take that for the Bairstow century, Cummins cameo and some Dre Russ magic. It was fun till it lasted.