First, Chris Gayle’s unbeaten 104-run knock helped Punjab posted a mammoth 193/3 and then, its bowlers managed to restrict the visitors to 178/4 in their allotted 20 overs.
Chasing a massive target, Hyderabad never looked in contention as the visitors lost wickets at regular intervals. Hyderabad’s in-form opener Shikhar Dhawan got injured on his first ball and from then, the required rate kept on increasing and none of the batsmen scored freely.
Skipper Kane Williamson (54) and middle-order batsman Manish Pandey (57 not out), however tried to narrow the gap between the runs but lack of support from other batters costly hugely.
Yusuf Pathan (19) and Shakib Al Hasan (24 not out) also displayed the signs of coming back to form but could not contribute handsomely.
For Punjab, Mohit Sharma and Andrew Tye took two wickets each.
Earlier, Gayle struck a 63-ball 104, laced with 11 sixes and a boundary to set the jam-packed stadium on fire.
Opting to bat, Punjab started on a cautious note as openers Lokesh Rahul (18) and Gayle stitched a 53-run partnership for the opening wicket.
Afghan leg-spinner Rashid Khan drew first blood for Hyderabad, dismissing Rahul in the eighth over.
Medium pacer Siddarth Kaul provided another jolt to the hosts, packing back incoming batsman Mayank Agarwal (18) in the 11th over.
Gayle was then joined by Karun Nair (31 off 21 balls; 4x3, 6x1) and the duo shared a 85-run partnership for the third wicket, taking Punjab past the 150 run mark.
By then, Gayle had brought up his sixth IPL ton and 21st in T20s overall in just 58 deliveries, with a squeezy drive to point off Kaul and thereafter unleashing his trademark ‘Baby in the arms’ celebration.
Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar got rid-off Nair in the 18th over but Gayle continued to hammer every Hyderabad bowler.
Australian Aaron Finch’s 14 not out off 6 balls in the final moments propelled Punjab to a massive total even as Gayle remained a spectator at the other end. For Hyderabad, Bhuvneshwar, Rashid and Kaul bagged one wicket apiece.
Brief Scores: Kings XI Punjab 193/3 (Chris Gayle 104 not out, Karun Nair 31; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1/25) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad 178/4 (Manish Pandey 57 not out; Andrew Tye 2/23).
Chennai eyeing win against Rajasthan
After losing their previous IPL clash by a whisker, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will aim to start off with a win against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their new home ground – the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium today. CSK were forced to move out of their original home venue in Chennai amid political unrest over the Cauvery water-sharing issue. Both the teams, who have returned to the league after serving two year bans following the spot-fixing scandal, will face each other for the first time in the ongoing edition. While Chennai lost their previous match against Kings XI by four runs in Mohali, the Ajinkya Rahane-led Rajasthan suffered a seven-wicket defeat against KKR at home. With two wins and two defeats, Rajasthan are placed fifth with four points, while the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai also have an equal number of points after two wins from three matches and are at the fourth position. Rajasthan started their IPL 2018 campaign on a poor note, hammered by Sunrisers Hyderabad by 9 wickets. They however, gained momentum and registered two back-to-back wins against Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Later, Kolkata outclassed them by seven wickets. With 185 runs from four games, Samson has been the most impressive batsman for Rajasthan while skipper Rahane has amassed 130 runs. Rajasthan’s bowlers – K. Gowtham and Ben Laughlin – have performed well while leggie Shreays Gopal has also been economical. However, all-rounder Ben Stokes has failed to fire till now. On the other hand, two-time champions Chennai had a great start to their campaign with back-to-back wins against defending champions Mumbai Indians and KKR.