Supergiants thrash Sunrisers Hyderabad

Hello and welcome to the Live Commentary and match updates for the IPL match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rising Pune Supergiants in Hyderabad.

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Rising Pune Supergiants' Ashok Dinda was declared the man-of-the-match for his excellent spell of fast bowling.

Rising Pune Supergiants won the match by 34 runs under Duckworth-Lewis method. What a gesture from David Warner and M.S. Dhoni, they shook hands and umpires decided the match in favour of Rising Pune Supergiants.

It is official now. Rising Pune Supergiants has been declared winner in the game which was dominated by the Pune franchise. They bowled, fielded and batted brilliantly. Steve Smith and Faf du Plessis made it easy for Rising Pune Supergiants during the run chase. It will be a morale boosting victory for the Dhoni-led team.

2352 hrs | And the rain comes and sends the little Johnnies off the field again for the moment. Pune Supergiants are cruising at this stage, and are looking to get a nudge up on their NRR.

RPS 94/3 after 10 overs (S Smith 41 off 31 | MS Dhoni 5 off 3 || need 31 from 60 balls)

Nehra still having problems with his line. Bowls yet ANOTHER floaty wide down leg. A little later, he scrapes Smith's pads and goes for a four down Fine-leg. But he gets his own back as Dhoni (5 from 4) lashes a wide one that Tare at Point snatches miraculously.

RPS 88/2 after 10 overs (S Smith 41 off 31 | MS Dhoni 5 off 3 || need 31 from 60 balls)

Now, breakthrough for Henriques, who bowls a peach of a delivery with the slightest of deviations off the wicket to kiss du Plessis' (30 from 21) outside edge and go through to Naman Ojha. And MS Dhoni walks in to steer the chase, with an eye on the net-run-rate more than the required-run-rate. And goes for it straight-away with an insouciant swipe over the Mid-on fielder for four .

RPS 80/1 after 9 overs (S Smith 38 off 29 | du Plessis 30 off 23 || need 39 from 66 balls)

Bhuvi tries a bouncer for a change. Why? He needs to swing it, not spring it. It's called 3 wides. Great running by these batsmen. 9 runs off that over.

RPS 71/1 after 8 overs (S Smith 33 off 24 | du Plessis 29 off 19 || need 48 from 72 balls)

Moises Henriques seemed to stem the flow of runs with some swing and movement, till the last ball, which was bottom-handed over the Midwicket boundary for six .

RPS 63/1 after 7 overs (S Smith 27 off 20 | du Plessis 10 off 11 || need 56 from 78 balls)

Bipul Sharma to try and slow things down. Now, du Plessis gets into the act. Tests the turn with a couple of balls, and then sweeps for a four before whacking the next one out of the park for six on the on-side. And Smith presses home the advantage by cutting Bipul away for four through Backward Point. 17 runs off the over. Now, Pune has got the measure of things, and should find it hard to lose, barring something extraordinary.

RPS 46/1 after 6 overs (S Smith 27 off 20 | du Plessis 10 off 11 || need 73 from 84 balls)

Smith has no respect for fizzy deliveries. He has no respect, period. What could have been a powerful yorker is converted into a scintillating four as Smith stays back in the crease and muscles it through Mid-on. And Fizz loses confidence and drifts away on the offside for a wide. And again, this time more whippily, Smith wallops another four through Midwicket. Smith has taken control with just this over, attacking and taming the Sunrisers' trump card. 11 more runs off this over.

RPS 35/1 after 5 overs (S Smith 17 off 14 | du Plessis 10 off 11 || need 84 from 90 balls)

Now, Smith bunts a short ball so crisply for four , it rockets to Square-leg before the fielder on the boundary realises a sphere was approaching him. Nehra's radar needs adjustment. That's the fourth wide he's bowled, second this over, and goes for three runs. Finishes up with a great ball that thuds into Smith's thigh guard. 11 runs in that over though.

RPS 24/1 after 4 overs (S Smith 12 off 9 | du Plessis 9 off 10 || need 95 from 96 balls)

And immediately, he hits Faf on the pads with a vicious in-swinger. Then squares Smith all ends up. After an embarrassing wide ball, he is flicked authoritatively by Smith for four through Mid-on and then a smart dab through to Fine-leg for another four . Finishes up with a fine yorker that Smith squeezes out with an even finer shot.

Now, time to find some Fizz off the wicket. Mustafizur Rahman has really built himself a strong reputation as a formidable and intelligent bowler with a fatal yorker #RIPAndreRussell'sBrokenToe.

RPS 13/1 after 3 overs (S Smith 3 off 4 | du Plessis 9 off 9 || need 106 from 102 balls)

These conditions are ideal for Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, who thrives on that swinging and cutting balls at that annoying floaty medium pace. Troubles Smith with a sharp inswinging off-cutter and gets an unfortunate inside-edge from du Plessis that makes it to the Fine-leg fence for four .

RPS 5/1 after 2 overs (S Smith 0 off 1 | du Plessis 4 off 6)

But Faf is off the mark real stylishly, pulling Nehra with arrogance down Midwicket for four . After a nasty wide down the legside, Nehra gets Faf driving majestically only to run into Moises Henriques's pantherlike reflexes. Just 5 runs.

RPS 0/1 after 1 over (S Smith 0 off 0 | du Plessis 0 off 0)

Bhuvaneshwar Kumar gets the first breakthrough here too! Gets Rahane (0 from 5) slashing it to Eoin Morgan at Point, and is caught safely after an instinctive parry-recover-pouch. Wicket-maiden shows there's still something in the air/wicket.

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And what was a yawn-inducing innings was brought to a close with a last-mile sprint courtesy a Bhuvaneshwar Kumar cameo and Shikhar Dhawan's strange new-found levelheadedness. The southpaw opener curbed his natural instincts to a great extent and grinded his way to a salvageable 56 runs. But Ashok Dinda it was, who spearheaded the Supergiants' dominance this innings. Assisted by aerial movement and a spongy wicket, Rising Pune Supergiants bowlers have set their batsmen up with a gettable target of 119 in 20 overs — a great chance for the team to break its losing streak.

SRH 118/8 after 20 overs (A Nehra 0 off 0 | S Dhawan 56 off 53)

Bhuvi slices two cute four s through Third-man and then (21 from 8) departs after an incredibly handy cameo. He managed to extricate the hosts from the scoring doldrums and into a respectable situation. He couldn't time the third boundary and finds Faf du Plessis at Mid-on. And Perera signs off with a yorker to keep Sunrisers down to 118.

SRH 105/7 after 19 overs (B Kumar 11 off 4 | S Dhawan 53 off 51)

And Bipul Sharma (5 off 5) is run-out by a mile and a half by a direct-hit. And Bhuvaneshwar Kumar truly comes to the party now with a top-edged four through Third-man and, then, an immense six over Cow-corner. Woof. What a hit that was. And Dinda's otherwise immaculate figures — 3/23 with economy rate of 5.75 — look less awesome than they could have. Can Sunrisers get to 120 here?

SRH 92/6 after 18 overs (B Sharma 5 off 5 | S Dhawan 44 off 44)

Dhawan just smokes it over Cow-corner for a humongous six — in the context of the match. Gets his fifty too. Well-deserved for the temperament he has shown today. It was right in the slot from Perera, though, and he'd have cursed himself for letting it go.

SRH 81/6 after 17 overs (B Sharma 2 off 2 | S Dhawan 44 off 44)

Dinda opens with a fiery ball that is too fast for Dhawan to ramp. Then he just fires a straight ball of yorker-ish length and sundered off and middle stumps to end Ojha's (18 from 21) misery. And thus, a 47-run partnership is broken by an electrifying Dinda.

SRH 78/5 after 16 overs (N Ojha 18 off 19 | S Dhawan 44 off 44)

Murugan Ashwin, now. Will the batsmen attack? M Ashwin bowling half-trackers but getting away. Oh my, Dhawan, clearly deceived in flight, is dropped by Rahane at Mid-off and then Ojha just about makes it back into the crease as the bowler takes the bails off at the non-striker's end. 6 runs off that over.

SRH 72/5 after 15 overs (N Ojha 16 off 17 | S Dhawan 40 off 40)

Promising start to the over, Dhawan walks across and swats it towards Square-leg on his knees. Just two runs, but there was intent. And then Naman Ojha finally makes the boundary with a nice pick-up six over Midwicket. Bhatia then lost it on his fifth ball, bowls it way outside off for an extra. Sunrisers need much more of this. Great over for the hosts, 13 whole runs came off it.

SRH 59/5 after 14 overs (N Ojha 8 off 14 | S Dhawan 36 off 37)

Dhawan and Ojha run better this over, get 6 runs amid some tight bowling from Ashwin.

SRH 53/5 after 13 overs (N Ojha 6 off 11 | S Dhawan 32 off 34)

Phew! Dhawan has a heart. He steps out first ball of Bhatia's over, and lifts it over his head for four in five overs. And... it's back to dozing for the rest of the over.

SRH 45/5 after 12 overs (N Ojha 4 off 8 | S Dhawan 26 off 31)

Ojha and Dhawan really playing within themselves, aren't they? No attempts to break the shackles. This is effectively the last batting pair and that's probably why the ultra caution. Just 3 more runs.

SRH 42/5 after 11 overs (N Ojha 3 off 5 | S Dhawan 24 off 28)

Now, Rajat Bhatia. A lot of slower balls, drifty and floaty that come with zero width. Just 3 runs.

SRH 39/5 after 10 overs (N Ojha 2 off 4 | S Dhawan 22 off 23)

Another quiet over from Ashwin. Sunrisers are going at 3.90 runs an over. 3.90. In a T20 game. Best hope the pitch behaves the same when Supergiants go in to bat.

SRH 36/5 after 9 overs (N Ojha 2 off 3 | S Dhawan 19 off 18)

Another wicket on the first ball. Marsh gets Moises Henriques (1 from 4) to a superb diving catch from Dhoni. The man is truly getting younger.

SRH 32/4 after 8 overs (D Hooda 1 off 8 | S Dhawan 16 off 14)

Ravi Ashwin comes in after the Powerplay again. And immediately collaborates with Dhoni to get rid of Hooda (1 from 9) off the first ball. Peppered with carrom balls and bounce.

SRH 29/3 after 7 overs (D Hooda 1 off 8 | S Dhawan 16 off 14)

Perera bowls a pacey over and gives just 2 runs away. Smith missed a run-out opportunity. Get the feeling Dhawan needs to carry the bat through here.

SRH 27/3 after 6 overs (D Hooda 0 off 3 | S Dhawan 15 off 13)

Now Mitch Marsh gets the new man Morgan (0 from 2) two balls in. He got a couple of short balls, and then a juicy fuller delivery that he edges back to Dhoni for an easy catch.

SRH 26/2 after 5 overs ( Eoin Morgan 0 off 0 | S Dhawan 14 off 12)

Dhawan gets one away for four through Fine-leg with an inside edge. And Dinda goes it again. Tare (8 from 14) goes for a wild cut to a ball without any width and spoons it into Perera' hands at Short-Midoff.

SRH 19/1 after 4 overs (A Tare 8 off 13 | S Dhawan 7 off 7)

Marsh troubles Tare with three swinging deliveries, till the diminutive batsman gets the fourth one into the Square-leg fence.

Wow. People say Dhoni is on his last legs, but what strong legs they are: the captain races a top-edge to the Fine-leg boundary and pulls it back.

SRH 13/1 after 3 overs (A Tare 2 off 7 | S Dhawan 7 off 7)

For some reason, Thisara Perera now comes in while there is swing to be exploited. Gets a couple of good balls in, making the batsmen play-and-miss, hit uppishly.

SRH 7/1 after 2 overs (A Tare 0 off 4 | S Dhawan 3 off 4)

Now, Mitchell Marsh. He's getting some swing too. And the fielding has been quite active in just the first two overs. Now, Dinda saves a boundary at Third-man with a single hand. Just the three runs off the over. Subdued start for SRH.

SRH 4/1 after 1 over (A Tare 0 off 2 | S Dhawan 0 off 0)

Dinda getting some nip in the moisture-laden air. And gets David Warner (0 from 4) cutting a short one into Point's hands. And Aditya Tare gets four leg byes to open the Surnrisers' account.

2100 hrs | Play resumes. Dinda steams in.

2035 hrs | Play expected to start at 2045 hrs. No over-cuts expected, so full game? Employers gonna be mad tomorrow...

2000 hrs | Oh man. Some drizzle in sight. Little sprinkles. And the players walk back into the pavillion. Drizzle fizzle. May be some delay here as covers come on too.

Dhoni's men may be low on morale, but you wouldn't know that from their gait. Bound out on to the field like giant spring-chickens.

1930 hrs | Rising Pune Supergiants have won the toss and will field. Dhoni reckons the pitch will hold through forty overs. Says they need special plans to bottle the Fizz.

Sunrisers Hyderabad get the redoubtable Ashish Nehra back in, Barinder Sran to sit this one out for him:

DA Warner*, S Dhawan, AP Tare, EJG Morgan, DJ Hooda, MC Henriques, NV Ojha†, Bipul Sharma, B Kumar, Mustafizur Rahman, A Nehra

And Rising Pune Supergiants are without Pietersen. Albie Morkel sits out for Mitchell Marsh, and Ashok Dinda comes in for Ankit Sharma.

AM Rahane, F du Plessis, SPD Smith, NLTC Perera, MS Dhoni*†, MR Marsh, R Bhatia, SS Tiwary, R Ashwin, M Ashwin, AB Dinda

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M.S. Dhoni has never been a part of a team that had to be called an underdog or not been among the favourites to win the trophy. He’ll go into the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Tuesday with a squad that has found ways to lose matches from positions of strength — not something you associate with a team that has Dhoni at the helm. The match offers another chance for Dhoni’s boys to show their mettle and arrest the losing streak. But it might not be easy, given the red hot form Sunrisers Hyderabad is in.

With Skipper David Warner’s batting form and Mustafizur’s effective bowling, SRH has managed to string a series of wins under their belt. With RPS’ bowlers struggling to pick wickets and the ground at Hyderabad seeing relatively lower scores this season, SRH batsmen might look to chase today.

The team winning the toss is likely to bowl first, given the hot and humid conditions. And, the last three matches at the ground were won by the chasing team. So there’s enough to suggest that the team batting second will have the upper hand in the match.

There are reports doing the rounds that Ashish Nehra might be inducted into the team. If that happens, it will be at the expense of Punjab pacer Barinder Sran. That apart, Warner will not look to make any changes to the winning combination.

Squads

Sunrisers Hyderabad

DA Warner*, A Ashish Reddy, RK Bhui, Bipul Sharma, TA Boult, BCJ Cutting, S Dhawan, MC Henriques, DJ Hooda, S Kaul, B Kumar, A Mithun, EJG Morgan, Mustafizur Rahman, A Nehra, NV Ojha, V Shankar, KV Sharma, BB Sran, TL Suman, AP Tare, KS Williamson, Yuvraj Singh

Rising Pune Supergiants

MS Dhoni*, Ankit Sharma, B Aparajith, M Ashwin, R Ashwin, AK Bains, R Bhatia, SM Boland, DL Chahar, AB Dinda, F du Plessis, PSP Handscomb, Jaskaran Singh, MR Marsh, JA Morkel, IC Pandey, IK Pathan, NLTC Perera, AM Rahane, I Sharma, RP Singh, SPD Smith, SS Tiwary, A Zampa