IPL 2019, SRH vs KXIP: David Warner's sweet swansong to Bhuvneshwar Kumar's timely redemption, key moments from Hyderabad's win

The Orange Cap holder David Warner left the IPL on a high after his 56-ball 81 gave Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) a 45-run win over Kings XI Punjab at home. Put into bat, Warner drove Sunrisers to a 200-plus total on a batting wicket. Kings XI regularly lost wickets in the run-chase and despite KL Rahul’s fine half-century, they fell 45 runs short.

Take a glance at the best moments from the match.

Warner’s switch hit for four

David Warner wanted to bow out on a high after owning the Orange Cap this season with some brilliant performances through the season. The match against Kings XI was his last this season in the IPL and he was intent on making it a memorable one. The half-century, his eighth in succession against Kings XI Punjab, was studded with some audacious strokes but perhaps the best of them was a switch-hit for four off Mujeeb-ur-Rahman.

In the 14th over of the innings, Mujeeb came around the wicket to bowl a length delivery well outside Warner’s off-stump. The Australian, however, had changed his stance to a right-hander’s and picked the ball up with a sweep over fine-leg — originally his short third man — to fetch a boundary. Warner had pre-meditated the switch having seen that the third man was inside the circle and threw his bat at the ball after changing his stance in an attempt to clear the fielder.

Ashwin shells a difficult catch, but returns to strike twice

In the 12th over of the Sunrisers innings, Manish Pandey looked to hit Mohammed Shami over mid-off. He did not get enough elevation and Ashwin at mid-off was in with a chance to pull off a terrific catch.

The Kings XI skipper timed his jump well to get to the ball that was hit pretty hard. He caught it with his right hand at the top of his leap but as he landed his foot, the ball popped out of his hands. Pandey was given a life but Ashwin came back into the attack three overs late to dismiss him.

He bowled a carrom ball down leg-side that Pandey cheekily dabbed to short fine-leg where Shami took an easy catch. Ashwin wasn’t done, though, and sent back the dangerous David Warner two balls later with a round-arm variation that the Australian miscued to point.

When the oldest and the youngest conceded comical boundaries

Kings XI made a few blunders in the field but perhaps the two most comical of them was by young debutant Prabhsimran Singh and veteran batsman, Chris Gayle. Arshdeep Singh beat Wriddhiman Saha’s wild slash with a slower delivery in the final ball of the third over. The ball went after a bounce to wicket-keeper Prabhsimran Singh, but the youngster did not cover the line well enough and leaked four byes.

Mujeeb-ur-Rahman had a disastrous outing conceding 66 in his four-over spell with a 26-run final over. But he was a tad unlucky to concede a boundary off the first ball of that final over. Kane Williamson got a thick outside edge to Mujeeb’s delivery and the ball raced to the third-man with Chris Gayle giving a chase. The West Indian reached the ball well before it reached the fence but before he could stoop to pick it up, his legs hit the ball and it rolled away to the fence with greater momentum.

Bhuvneshwar’s boundary goof-up and redemption

Bhuvneshwar Kumar had a Lagaan moment in the field when Nicholas Pooran hoicked Khaleel Ahmed over fine-leg. Stationed at deep fine-leg, Bhuvneshwar went with both hands for a catch and caught the ball quite comfortably, but as he landed his back foot went beyond the boundary ropes. Bhuvneshwar probably didn’t realise he was very close to the fence and gave away a six.

He soon redeemed himself with a superb catch near the ropes in the same over to send back the very same batsman. Khaleel had conceded two more boundaries to the West Indian but another short ball off the final ball of the over had Pooran pulling to fine-leg. He did not get enough distance and Bhuvneshwar had to rush in from the deep. He covered good ground to his right and timed his forward leap to perfection to complete a superb catch.

Manish Pandey clings onto soapy ball

Chris Gayle decided to go downtown early and took on Khaleel Ahmed’s length delivery over mid-off. The ball took the splice of his bat and ballooned high into the night sky. Manish Pandey, at cover, got underneath the ball but knew that the ball would be soapy due to the dew.

He kept his eyes on the ball and caught it with a forward dive but the wet ball popped out of his hands a bit. Luckily for him, it got stuck between his fingers but it still squirmed out and he juggled a bit before it hit his chin and went back to his hands. The brilliant catch ensured there was no Universe Boss show at Hyderabad on Monday.

For all the latest news, opinions and analysis from IPL 2019, click here

For the full schedule, date, time and venue of all the matches of IPL 12, click here

Check out the full points table for IPL 2019, including holders of Orange and Purple Caps