KL Rahul kept his nerve at the death to get Kings XI Punjab back on track and condemn Sunrisers Hyderabad to a second defeat on the bounce.

Hyderabad fall to fourth place in the IPL standings, while Kings XI leapfrogged their visitors in Mohali to go into third place after their six-wicket win.

Having won the toss, Punjab opted to bowl first and made the most out of the dewy conditions. The Sunrisers struggled to get going and barely hit a boundary during the powerplay.

Jonny Bairstow faced six deliveries before being dismissed for one run while David Warner was forced to curb his natural attacking instincts and bat through the innings for his unbeaten 70 from 62 balls.

He was supported in the middle by Vijay Shankar (26 from 27) but it was Deepak Hooda who struck two boundaries and a six from his three deliveries at the death that carried them to a respectable total of 150-4.

Kings XI went about chasing down that target with minimum fuss though and Rahul was the one who saw them through with his unbeaten 71 from 53 balls. Mayank Agarwal also chipped in with 55 off 43 but his dismissal in the 18th over created a little wobble for the hosts.

At 132-2 then, the next eight runs took 17 balls and two wickets. After cruising for most of the innings Punjab required 11 off the final over but between Sam Curran and Rahul, they managed it with a ball to spare.

WARNER’S SLOW BURNER

This was not a vintage Warner innings and, depending on how you perceive it, one that either cost his side the game or gave them a fighting chance. The batsman has a reputation as one of the most explosive hitters in the IPL but was very well contained on this occasion.

It wasn’t the easiest track to bat on as Bairstow and Warner – the undisputed dominant opening pair this season – both struggled, as did Shankar who soon replaced the departed wicketkeeper-batsman.

“The ball was moving around a bit initially, so we wanted to see off the first six overs,” the all-rounder said after the first innings.

Of course, Punjab must get credit for their approach against Warner. Ankit Rajpoot, despite failing to pick up a wicket, was incredibly disciplined with his line and length. The field placement was spot on as well, packing the offside to guard against Warner’s strength through the covers. He managed to score just nine from the first 17 balls he faced.

In fairness, the Australian applied himself and worked hard for his runs. Warner’s one of the quickest between the wickets and it showed during this knock. He consistently pushed for quick singles and doubles to keep the scoreboard ticking over. However, the Sunrisers’ slowest start this season was difficult to recover from.

Even though Warner accelerated later in the innings, finishing with a strike rate of 112.90, and Hyderabad put up over 100 runs in the last 10 overs, their score of 150-4 always felt like it was just short of a winning target.

GAME PLAN

Apart from setting a good field against Sunrisers’ opening pair, Ravichandran Ashwin was also clever with the way he utilised his bowling attack. He brought on Mujeeb as early as the second over as he targeted Bairstow, who’s struggled against spinners this season. In fact, all six of the Englishman’s dismissals this term have been to wrist-spinners and mystery-spinners.

Meanwhile, Warner was offered no room outside the off stump and the pacers bowled short of a length deliveries to him so he couldn’t easily hit lofted shots over the inner circle. With a weak leg-side field, they almost exclusively bowled an off-stump or outside off-stump line, moving across the batsman without offering him too much room to extend his arms.

KL COOL AS EVER

There were no fireworks off Rahul’s bat. He didn’t dispatch the bowling attack to all parts of the ground, making a mockery of Sunrisers’ struggles at the crease. Instead, he paced his innings exceptionally well.

If the Indian selectors were watching, then this is exactly the kind of performance they would like to see from their openers at this summer’s World Cup in England.

He simply played good cricketing shots with little risk involved. With timing, technique and placement, he was able to anchor the innings while scoring at a rate just quick enough to turn defeat into attack – succeeding where Warner failed.