David Warner could erase those bad memories now.
In the second half of the last IPL, he had posted on social media a photo from his hotel room while his franchise since 2014, Sunrisers Hyderabad, was playing Rajasthan Royals at Dubai. It was baffling why someone who had led the side to a title-triumph wasn’t even in the dugout.
On Thursday night at the Brabourne Stadium here, he was back in the field for a match featuring Sunrisers. This time, though, he was in the rival team, Delhi Capitals.
His determined 92 not out (58b, 12x4, 3x6) set up Capitals’ 21-run victory. But for a stunning innings from Nicholas Pooran (62, 34b, 2x4, 6x6), the margin would have been much bigger.
As long as Pooran was at the wicket, Sunrisers was in the game, chasing 208. But once he was caught at long-on off a full toss from Shardul Thakur in the 18th over, it was curtains.
Sunrisers had been reduced to 37 for three by the seventh over, but Aiden Markram (42, 25b) and Pooran brought their side back into the contest before the chase fizzled out.
Capitals now has 10 points, the same as Sunrisers and Punjab Kings. The race for the playoffs spots is getting exciting.
Team man
Earlier, Warner was unlucky to have missed out on what would have been a remarkable hundred. But, as his fourth-wicket partner Rovman Powell would reveal at the end of the innings, the Aussie had replied in the negative when the West Indian asked him if he needed a single at the beginning of the final over.
Warner still reached a couple of milestones: he overtook Chris Gayle’s record for most fifties in T20 cricket. This was his 89th. He also hit his 400th six in the format.
He was only second-best though in the six-hitting competition in this innings. Powell smashed six of them in his brutal knock of 67 not out off just 35 balls (3x4).
The unfinished fourth-wicket stand of 122 came off just 66 balls.
If Powell’s batting was an exhibition of Caribbean power-hitting, Warner anchored the innings sensibly even as he came up with some big hits himself. The duo, along with skipper Rishabh Pant (26, 16b, 1x4, 3x6), tore the Sunrisers bowling apart.
Faster they come, faster they go!
The innings also saw Umran Malik beating his own record for the season’s fastest ball, clocking 157 kmph. He bowled really fast right through, but the deliveries disappeared faster. Such was the mood Warner and Powell were in.
