The brute force of Aaron Finch has proven it’s worth once again as the Aussie took the Hyderabad Sunrisers merely over the line to win their first match in this year’s IPL. The Sunrisers managed to defeat the Delhi Daredevils by 4, but there was more than that to the game.
Batting first, Hyderabad put a decent score on the board after David Warner and Aaron Finch collaborated for a 128 run partnership in a flurry of boundaries. Warner finished up with 58 not out (43 balls) including 3 fours and 3 maximums, whilst Finch blasted 8 fours and 4 sixes on his way to a substantial score of 88 not out from just 53 deliveries.
Hyderabad’s innings came to a conclusion at the score of 1 wicket for 184 runs. A fairly big total, Delhi had an extra boost of confidence due to the awaited presence of skipper Kevin Pietersen.
They got off to a great start with Quinton de Kock firing 48 to assist Murali Vijay’s 52. The Daredevils suffered a mini-dip mid innings including the failure of KP’s return.
JP Duminy came to the rescue and clobbered 20 off 7 deliveries to give the Daredevils a late chance, but Delhi’s structure will go under scrutiny because you can’t have your best batsman facing 5.8% of the innings.
Unfortunately JP’s late frenzy went down in vain as Hyderabad were proven marginally too good for Delhi, notching up a four run win and sending Delhi plummeting down to 7th spot on the IPL ladder.
And for those interested, Chennai defeated Mumbai by 6 wickets in the other game last night to complete a full hat-trick of Mumbai defeats, which has left their defending premiership chances in tatters.
Hopefully Delhi and Mumbai can lift their game, because they both have lots of potential but they aren’t structuring their performances well. Back to the nets…
Aaron Finch scored 88 off 53 balls, including a stunning one-handed six! ©BCCI
