SunRisers open account with convincing win over RCB

SunRisers Hyderabad rode on the individual brilliance of David Warner and Trent Boult to open their account in the eighth Indian Premier League (IPL) with a convincing eight-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore here today.

Opting to field, pace spearhead Boult picked up three wickets in one over to help SunRisers bowl out the hosts for 166, and then skipper Warner stole the show with a sizzling 27-ball 57.

Shikhar Dhawan (50) chipped in with a fluent half century, guiding the team home with 16 balls to spare and leaving the packed crowd at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium disappointed. Lokesh Rahul made an brisk 44 off 28 balls and added 78 runs for the third wicket with Dhawan, who was also involved in a 82-run opening-wicket stand with Warner.

Rahul hit the winning six off Varun Aaron.

Earlier, Boult pegged back RCB by taking the wickets of the marauding AB de Villiers, who top-scored for his side with a 28-ball 46, Sean Abbott and Harshal Patel in the innings' penultimate over to finish with impressive figures of 3/36.

In their chase, the SunRisers started on a scintillating note with openers Warner and Dhawan accumulating 16 runs in the innings' first over bowled by Sean Abbott.

The second over was even better as Warner smashed Harshal Patel for 20 runs to take the visiting side's total to 36 by the time the hapless bowler finished his over. The left-handed batsman hit Patel for three boundaries before depositing the final ball over midwicket for a six.

Warner picked Varun Aaron for special treatment, hitting the pace bowler for 15 runs with the help of a couple of fours and a cracking upper cut six over the third man boundary. He then pulled Abu Nechim Ahmed, the ball soaring over long-on for another maximum.

The Australian raced to his fifty in the next over, the milestone coming in just 24 balls.

Yuzvendra Chahal was greeted to the bowling crease with a six over backward square-leg but the bowler had his revenge three balls later as he had Warner, who was shaping himself up for sweep shot, trapped in front of the wicket.

Chahal then had Kane Williamson, promoted in the batting order, smartly stumped by Dinesh Karthik in his next over as SRH closed in on 100 around the halfway mark.

Dhawan, who hit four boundaries and two sixes in his 42-ball knock, meanwhile, chipped in with a few boundaries to keep his side ahead in the chase, and was ably supported by Rahul who hit four boundaries and a six.