Bhuvneshwar's fifer trumps Vohra's 95

Chasing 160, Kings XI Punjab was teetering at 82 for six, but Manan Vohra single-handedly took his team close to victory. Bhuvneshwar Kumar's brilliant spell, however, won the match for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar's being applauded by his teammates after he won the match for Sunrisers Hyderabad with a five-wicket haul.

David Warner and Bhuvneshwar Kumar on Monday night showed why they posses the orange cap and purple cap, respectively.

A 54-ball 70 from the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain buoyed his squad, which was floundering at 50 for three, to make 159 for six.

Kumar’s two wickets in as many overs in his opening spell undermined Kings XI Punjab’s (KXIP) pursuit on a two-paced pitch at the Rajiv Gandhi international stadium. His bowling at the death spelt doom for the visiting team, especially when he scalped Manan Vohra (95, 50b, 9x4, 5x6), the bearded hit-man from Chandigarh, who had taken his team close to victory.

SCORECARD AND BALL-BY-BALL DETAILS

The seamer’s spell of five for 19 was only the second fifer at this venue after Rajasthan Royal’s James Faulkner picked up five wickets for 16 in 2013. After surviving more than a few anxious moments towards the close, Sunrisers sneaked home by five runs.

Kumar trapped Hashim Amla in front off the innings’ first ball. His defence of Sunrisers’s modest total couldn’t have got off on a more sound footing.

Glenn Maxwell, who failed to show due respect to Hyderabad’s strike bowler, paid the price, holing out to Warner at long off.

The third-wicket pair of Eoin Morgan and Vohra looked threatening. But Mohammad Nabi castled the Englishman, wresting the initiative back for the host. David Miller was bowled neck and crop by Rashid Khan. Two balls later, the crafty wrist-spinner’s wrong ‘un found Wriddhiman Saha’s off-stump.

Earlier, Punjab’s pace trio of Sharmas — Sandeep, Ishant and Mohit — stifled the opening charge by Warner and Shikhar Dhawan, forcing the duo to scamper for singles. Such was the stranglehold that the southpaws had just one boundary each for quite a while, Warner’s first coming after 17 balls. A suffocated Dhawan tried to steer Mohit over Saha, the stumper, but it went to his gloved hands.

Warner reverse-swept K. C. Cariappa for a six to bring up his side’s 50. Moises Henriques stepped out to Axar Patel, only to be stumped by Saha. The Sunrisers suffered their third blow off the next ball, when Yuvraj Singh, all at sea against the left-arm spinner, feathered a catch to Saha.

Naman Ojha, at five, came down the track to loft Patel over long on. The fourth wicket partnership with his skipper breathed fresh life into Sunrisers’ batting.  The duo guided the home side past 100 with a 60-run stand.

Otherwise middling the ball well, Ojha ventured out to Cariappa, missed the line and was stumped by his counterpart.

Leading from the front was Warner, who seemed simply immovable from the middle. He proved to be Hyderabad’s mainstay again.