The unbeaten partnership stand of 108 runs between David Warner and Moises Henriques, for the third-wicket, drove Sunrisers Hyderabad to an easy nine-wicket victory over Gujarat Lions in a low-scoring match of the IPL 2017 on Sunday.
Skipper Warner smashed 76 runs off 45 balls at an impressive strike rate of 168.88, while Henriques contributed with 52 runs to help the defending champions win with 27 balls remaining at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.
Opener Shikhar Dhawan, who scored 40 runs in the IPL opener against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), managed to hit just nine runs on Sunday.
Earlier, Afghan spinner Rashid Khan and Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar led Hyderabad’s bowling attack after claiming three and two wickets respectively.
Warhorse pacer Ashish Nehra also chipped in, taking the scalp of Gujarat wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik (30) in the 18th over.
The impeccable bowling line-up of SRH kept Gujarat Lions under control and restrict them for 137/7 in the end of 20 overs.
For Gujarat, all-rounder Dwayne Smith struck highest 37 runs, while opener Jason Roy and wicketkeeper-batsman contributed with 31 and 30 runs respectively.
Gujarat Lions lost five of their batsman for a single-digit score.