David Warner has smashed 67 off 38 balls to bag his seventh half-century in nine IPL outings and help Sunrisers Hyderabad steamroll the Kolkata Knight Riders by nine wickets.
Warner made 67 off 38 balls during his 131-run opening stand with England’s Jonny Bairstow, who scored an unbeaten 80, to help Hyderabad thrash Kolkata Knight Riders by nine wickets.
Eventually, Prithvi Raj’s slower delivery down the middle got under Warner’s bat and hit the stumps in the 12th over, but by then the Sunrisers were already on 131 and well on the way to victory.
It was Hyderabad’s second-biggest win in terms of wickets and overs left to play.
“The two at the top have been doing it all season, hopefully, they can continue, they were outstanding,” skipper Kane Williamson said of the opening duo after the win.
“He’s (Warner) a great bloke to bat with, we run well between wickets, which helps,” Bairstow, who stands behind Warner in the batting list with 445 runs in nine games, said of his partner.
“Loving every bit of my first IPL,” added the wicketkeeper-batsman, who was picked by Hyderabad in the December auctions.
The win takes Hyderabad into fourth place on the ladder, while Kolkata are in sixth with their own chances of a top-four finish in trouble.
Warner will look to continue his hot form ahead of the World Cup in England and Wales.
