Hyderabad: Hosts Sunrisers Hyderabad registered a comfortable nine-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals on Monday here as they opened their Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign in style.
The hosts were dominant right from the start, with all their bowlers playing a crucial role in restricting RR to 125-9.
In reply, SRH lost Wriddhiman Saha early, as Jaydev Unadkat got the early breakthrough. However, the Men in Orange turned the tables around, as Shikhar Dhawan (77) and captain Kane Williamson (36) put up a 121-run partnership to romp home with the game.
Dhawan had one more reason to celebrate the win, as he got to his 29th IPL half-century quite comfortably.
While SRH host defending Champions Mumbai Indians on April 12, RR will lock horns with Delhi Daredevils in their first home game of the season on April 11.
SRH 83-1 from 9.1 overs
FIFTY! Shikhar Dhawan gets to his 29th IPL fifty as the hosts race towards the finish line. What an innings this has been by the Indian cricketer.
SRH 6-1 from 1.3 overs
WICKET! Wriddhiman Saha departs early as hosts lose an early wicket in the run chase.
RR innings
Hosts Sunrisers Hyderabad restricted Rajasthan Royals to 125-9 as both the teams opened their Indian Premier League (IPL) campaigns here on Monday.
Siddarth Kaul and Shakib al Hasan were the stars for the hosts, with both picking up two wickets each.
For RR, Sanju Samson was the key player, but just fell for 49 runs.
Later on, Rashid Khan joined the party, as he removed Jos Buttler for six runs.
However, worries just increased for the visitors as they lost Shreyas Gopal and Jaydev Unadkat in quick succession.
If RR are to bounce back and win this, the key will be on pacers Ben Stokes, Dhawal Kulkarni and Jaydev Unadkat.
RR 94-5 from 13.5 overs
WICKET! SRH have finally got the main man Sanju Samson, who departs for 49. This is a huge blow for the visitors.
RR 92-4 from 13.2 overs
WICKET! Rahul Tripathi departs as Shakib al Hasan strikes for SRH.
RR 63-3 from 9 overs
WICKET! SRH have just got another wicket in the form of Ben Stokes just before the strategic time-out as Williamson takes a spectacular catch. This is top-class cricket from the hosts.
RR 52-2 from 6.5 overs
WICKET! What a fantastic catch by Rashid Khan at deep mid-wicket to see of captain Ajinkya Rahane. Bowler Siddarth Kaul is ecstatic after getting the wicket.
RR 6-1 from 1 over
WICKET! Captain Williamson does the trick for hosts as he smartly runs out Australia's D' Arcy Short. The square leg umpire went for a referral, but Williamson looked confident even before that.
Toss update
Sunrisers Hyderabad have won the toss and will bowl first.
Preview
With new captains getting ready to lead their respective sides, Kane Williamson-led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Ajinkya Rahane’s Rajasthan Royals (RR) will look for the best possible start in the Indian Premier League (IPL here on Monday.
The two teams lock horns at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here, and this match will conclude the first round of games, as all teams would have played a match each.
Both the teams were given a huge blow ahead of the tournament, with Australia’s David Warner and Steve Smith being banned due to the ball-tampering saga. Soon after they were given a one-year ban from cricket, they gave up captaincy from their respective sides.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH): Kane Williamson (Captain), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Manish Pandey, Rashid Khan Arman, Shikhar Dhawan, Wriddhiman Saha, Siddarth Kaul, Deepak Hooda, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma, Carlos Brathwaite, Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Shreevats Goswami, Mohammad Nabi, Chris Jordan, Basil Thampi, T Natarajan, Sachin Baby, Bipul Sharma, Syed Mehdi Hasan, Ricky Bhui, Tanmay Agarwal.
Rajasthan Royals (RR): Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), Ben Stokes, Jaydev Unadkat, Sanju Samson, Jofra Archer, Krishnappa Gowtham, Jos Buttler, Darcy Short, Rahul Tripathi, Dhawal Kulkarni, Zahir Khan Pakteen, Ben Laughlin, Stuart Binny, Dushmantha Chameera, Anureet Singh, Aryaman Vikram Birla, Midhun S, Shreyas Gopal, Prashant Chopra, Jatin Saxena, Ankit Sharma, Mahipal Lomror.
When is the match?
The match is scheduled to start at 8 pm IST on Monday (April 9)
Where is the match?
The match will take place at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
Live telecast and timings:
With Star India now acquiring the media rights from Sony Pictures Network India for the upcoming season, the matches will be telecast on various Star Sports channels.
Live streaming:
The matches can be viewed live on Hotstar.com or on the Hotstar app
