IPL 2021 – PBKS vs SRH: Jonny Bairstow overcomes PBKS attack for unbeaten fifty as SRH finally get on board
PBKS vs SRH: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) ended their losing streak and got on board in the IPL 2021 finally this Wednesday (April 21) with opening batsman Jonny Bairstow playing a stand-out knock in a low-scoring fixture versus Punjab Kings (PBKS).
Bairstow played a measured knock to see SRH through the chase of the modest 121-run target on a Chennai track turning sharply for spinners and offering the pacemen uneven bounce. Jonny Bairstow took the responsibility upon himself and scored 63 runs off 56 deliveries, including three fours and three sixes.
With another impactful effort in his team’s cause, Jonny Bairstow continued his magnificent form in white-ball cricket. Bairstow, who dominated the senior Indian bowling attack during the limited-overs leg of England’s recent tour, has now made 173 runs at an average of 57.66 and strike-rate of 132.06 in the IPL 2021 so far.
Bairstow’s tournament tally includes two half-centuries, the latest of which saw him receive the ‘Player of the Match’ award.
Besides Bairstow, skipper David Warner (37) and Kane Williamson (16*) also contributed towards their team’s win. As SRH looked to cut down risks on a bowler-friendly surface with the main aim in mind, most of the PBKS bowlers had economical figures.
Murugan Ashwin (0/22), Deepak Hooda (0/22) and Fabian Allen (1/22) went at less than six runs per over in their quota of four overs each. But PBKS needed more activity in the wickets column from their attack after an insipid batting performance.
PBKS vs SRH: Jonny Bairstow overcomes PBKS attack for unbeaten fifty as SRH finally get on board
PBKS vs SRH: The match truly went out of PBKS’s grasp in the first half where they didn’t even bat their allotted 20 overs and were bundled out for just 120.
In an innings that never got going, 22 – jointly from opener Mayank Agarwal and young Shahrukh Khan – was the highest individual score, with only Chris Gayle (15), Deepak Hooda (13) and Moises Henriques (14) reaching the double digits among others.
Left-arm spinner Abhishek Sharma (2/24) and left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed (3/21) picked up five wickets between them. SRH’s experienced heads – Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/16) and Rashid Khan (1/17) – hardly gave away a thing when they bowled and perhaps forced PBKS batters to take more risks against the likes of Sharma and Khaleel, which benefitted the 2016 champions immensely.
The result helped SRH end their streak of defeats and continued the one for PBKS, putting both the teams on an equal paddle in the standings. With just a solitary victory to their name after four matches, SRH and PBKS are languishing in the bottom half of the points table.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) next play Mumbai Indians (MI) on Friday (April 23), whereas Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) take on Delhi Capitals (DC) on Sunday (April 25).
Brief Scores: PBKS vs SRH – Punjab Kings 120 in 19.4 overs (Mayank Agarwal 22, Shahrukh Khan 22; Khaleel Ahmed 3/21) lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad 121/1 in 18.4 overs (Jonny Bairstow 63*, David Warner 37; Fabian Allen 1/22) by 9 wickets