IPL 2023: Shikhar Dhawan's unbeaten 99 in vain as sublime Rahul Tripathi hands SRH easy win over PBKS

IPL 2023: It was an easy outing for SunRisers Hyderabad against Punjab Kings, winning by eight wickets in Hyderabad on Sunday and scripting its maiden season victory, thanks to Rahul Tripathi's unbeaten 74, despite the latter's Shikhar Dhawan's unbeaten 99.

It was an improved outing from former champion SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Match 14 of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday. While the visiting opener Shikhar Dhawan played a sound knock of an unbeaten 99, leg-spinner Mayank Markande's four-for and Rahul Triptahi's unbeaten 74 got the job done for the hosts.

Winning the coin toss, SRH invited PBKS to bat, as the latter was off to a jittery start, losing three for 22 by the fourth over of the PowerPlay (PP). Then, a stand of 41 followed between Dhawan and Sam Curran (22) before Markande dismissed the latter in the ninth.

Thereon, PBKS's floodgates were opened as it lost wickets in bulk and was down to 88/9 by the 15th, while Dhawan had brought up his 49th IPL half-century. Then, along with Mohit Rathee (1), he ensured that he played most of the remaining overs and contributed to a 55-run partnership for the last wicket, as the visitors still managed to finish on a below-par total of 143/9.

For PBKS, Markande grabbed four, whereas he was also heavily economical. SRH brought Sikandar Raza as its Impact Player (IP) in the ninth over, replacing opener Prabhsimran Singh (0). In reply, the hosts did not start on a convincing note either, losing a couple for 45 by the ninth.

However, Tripathi and skipper Aiden Markram's (37*) unbeaten partnership thereon gave the visiting bowlers no chance to bounce back, as SRH won it comfortably by eight wickets with 17 balls to spare. For PBKS, pacer Arshdeep Singh and leg-spinner Rahul Chahar grabbed a wicket each, whereas pacer Sam Curran was economical.