IPL 2019: Warner, Rashid shine as Hyderabad beats Punjab to keep playoff hopes alive

David Warner played a match-winning knock and Rashid Khan starred with the ball as Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Kings XI Punjab by 45 runs.

David Warner finished his IPL assignment on a high as the southpaw slammed his eighth fifty of the season.

David Warner’s pre-match wish to see his fans go back home with smiles in his last match this season was fulfilled as Sunrisers Hyderabad scored an impressive 45-run win against Kings XI Punjab in an IPL match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Monday.

Warner's brilliance with the bat once again and a disciplined bowling effort saw Hyderabad stay in the hunt for a slot in the playoff.

Chasing a stiff target of 213 runs, KL Rahul made a brilliant 56 ball 79 but his efforts went in vain as Hyderabad restricted Punjab for 167/8.

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Left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed struck the two big blows - first sending back Chris Gayle cheaply as the batsman slogged one straight to the fielder in the deep and later removed the dangerous looking Nicholas Pooran, caught brilliantly, diving in his front by Bhuvneshwar Kumar near the long-leg fence of an attempted hook  - to reduce KXIP to 95 for three in 11th over.

It was another huge opportunity for the big-hitting David Miller to come good but he failed again pulling leggie Rashid Khan straight to the fielder in the deep even as Rahul turned out to be the lone-ranger with his wide range of strokes.

READ: IPL 2019: David Warner slams eighth fifty of the season

In the same 13th over R. Ashwin also found the fielder playing a lofted shot off Rashid to effectively push KXIP out of the contest.

The Afghan spinner played a vital role in Hyderabad's win by taking a three-wicket haul.

Earlier, R. Ashwin’s decision to put Hyderabad into bat backfired on a beautiful batting wicket with the explosive Warner, playing his last game in this edition, and Wriddhiman Saha essaying a stunning onslaught to score the highest number of runs in power-play this season - 77 for no loss - beating it’s own 72 against Kolkata Knight Riders at this venue.

The openers treated both left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh and off-spinner Mujeeb-ur-Rahman with contempt at the start as they either bowled short or wide.

To the delight of Punjab camp, it was the leg-spinner Murugan Ashwin, who struck in his first and seventh over of the innings to send back Saha.

But, Warner continued to bat as well as he did right through this season - hitting his eighth fifty in 12 games (besides a century).

Soon, Ashwin struck a double blow sending both the well-set Manish Pandey and the dangerous Warner in the 16th over after the duo put on 82 runs off 55 balls.

Then, Mujeeb conceded 26 runs in his fourth over - with Kane Williamson hitting one six and Mohammad Nabi two - as he finished with the most expensive spell in this IPL even as Hyderabad scored 109 runs in the last 10 overs.