IPL 2021: Shami and Bishnoi Help Punjab Defeat Hyderabad by 5 Runs

Punjab Kings move to the fifth spot in the IPL standings with 8 points from 10 matches.

Mohammed Shami and Ravi Bishnoi shared five wickets between themselves to help script a narrow five-run win for Punjab Kings over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their IPL 2021 match in Sharjah on Saturday.

Chasing 126, Hyderabad were restricted to 120/7 despite an unbeaten 47 by Jason Holder who threatened to take the match away from Punjab.

The win now helps Punjab climb to the fifth spot in the IPL standings while Sunrisers Hyderabad remain eighth.

Hyderabad had a horror start as David Warner (2) was dismissed on the third ball of the chase. On a short and outside off delivery from Shami, Warner nicked behind to keeper KL Rahul. Shami had his second wicket of the match when captain Kane Williamson (1) chopped on to his leg-stump while going for the drive.

Shami was brilliant in the power-play, conceding only five runs for big scalps of Warner and Williamson. Hyderabad scored only one boundary in their power-play score of 20, the lowest in the season. It is also their lowest-ever score in the first six overs in the history of IPL.

Hyderabad's troubles increased as Manish Pandey (13) was bowled through the gate by a googly from Ravi Bishnoi in the eighth over. Five overs later, Bishnoi had his second scalp of the match with Kedar Jadhav (12) getting a bottom edge to the stumps. Four balls later, Bishnoi had his third wicket with Abdul Samad (1) slicing to short third man.

Jason Holder smacked a six in Bishnoi's final over hitting back-to-back sixes off Ellis put Hyderabad's chase on track. Wriddhiman Saha (31) was run-out after a terrible mix-up on the first ball post second strategic timeout. Holder smashed another six in Shami's final over to make equation easy.

Arshdeep Singh got Rashid Khan to top-edge a pull for a return catch to his right in the 19th over. With 17 needed off final over, Holder cracked a six off Ellis on the second ball. With seven needed off the final ball, Ellis kept his calm in giving a single run off a slower full toss to help Punjab emerge victorious.

Hyderabad Posted 125/7

Earlier, Sunrisers Hyderabad made regular strikes with the ball as Punjab Kings could manage only a meagre 125/7 in 20 overs. On a pitch that aided slower deliveries, Hyderabad took full advantage of it and kept Punjab on a tight leash throughout the innings.

Sent in to bat first, Punjab didn't get the best of the starts with only 26 runs scored in four overs. KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal struggled to time the ball. Bhuvneshwar Kumar threatened Rahul's outside edge but with no success as Rahul got away with streaky boundaries.

Rahul's sluggish stay at the crease came to an end when he flicked straight to mid-wicket off Jason Holder's first ball of the match in the fifth over. On the fifth ball, Holder had his second wicket as Agarwal chipped a drive straight to mid-off.

Chris Gayle's quiet time at the crease ended with Rashid Khan getting one to turn in, trapping him lbw in the eleventh over. Nicholas Pooran slammed Sandeep Sharma for a six over deep mid-wicket. But Sharma's slower delivery next up saw Pooran getting into the hoick early and went straight back to the bowler off the toe-end of the bat, grabbing the catch on second attempt.

Aiden Markram, dropped on three, was a lone ranger for Punjab till he holed out to long-off on a juicy full toss from Abdul Samad in the 15th over. Holder had his third wicket of the day when Deepak Hooda's loft was snapped by substitute fielder J Suchith flying to his left to complete a stunning one-handed catch at cover.

Debutant Nathan Ellis smacked Kumar for a six on the first ball of the final over. Kumar had his revenge on the next as Ellis sliced to third man before a boundary from Harpreet Brar took Punjab past 120.

(With inputs from IANS)