Riding on the back of a 130-run opening partnership and backed by intelligent bowling by Praveen Kumar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the death overs, the Sunrisers Hyderabad handed reigning champions Kolkata Knight Riders their second defeat of Pepsi IPL 2015 after restricting them to 16 runs short of the target. KKR, who conceded 176 runs in the evening, were given a target of 118 from 12 overs after rain had delayed the start of the run-chase. But the visitors could only finish at 101 for 4, handing the hosts their second win of the season.

After winning the toss and putting the hosts in, KKR came in for plenty of stick as the SRH opening pair of David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan were involved in a record 130-run partnership. At the end of six overs, when the fielding restrictions were eased, SRH had 43 on the board; Dhawan had scored a run-a-ball 14, while Warner had contributed 27 from 22.

The pair extended their association well past the half-way mark, until the 15th over. Warner was the more explosive of the two left-handers and dominated the partnership, scoring 91 from 55 balls. He hit nine boundaries and four sixes, before he top-edged a pull which was pouched by the wicket-keeper Robin Uthappa.

Dhawan, who played second fiddle with his captain playing the attacking strokes at the at the other end, brought up his second half-century off the season in the eighteenth over, but perished in the following over when he drove a fullish delivery to the man at long-on. The 130-run partnership between the two left-handers was Sunrisers Hyderabad’s best partnership in the IPL. Naman Ojha’s eight-ball 18 too added to the hosts total, who finished their twenty overs at 176 for 4.

Unseasonal showers ate into the run-chase, which was then revised to 118 from 12 overs. Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir added 35 runs in just over three overs when the latter dragged one from Praveen Kumar onto his stumps. Uthappa played a few crisp strokes – a couple of his flick shots were as sweet as one can find – before he holed out to Praveen Kumar at short fine leg; he made 34 from 21 balls.

Manish Pandey (33 from 24 balls) and Andre Russell (19 from 10 balls) kept up with the required rate adding 31 runs in three overs before the latter picked Dale Steyn at long on.

KKR needed 37 from the final three overs, when the two Kumars – Bhuvneshwar and Praveen – combined to deny the visitors. Bhuvneshwar conceded just five in the tenth over, Praveen – who bowled two yorkers and used the slower delivery to good effect - conceded only seven in the following over, leaving KKR to score 25 off the last over. Bhuvneshwar picked up the wicket of Yusuf Pathan, and conceded only eight runs, leading his team to a victory.

Brief Scores

Sunrisers Hyderabad 176-4 in 20.0 Overs (Shikhar Dhawan 54, David Warner 91, Morne Morkel 2-31) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 101-4 in 12.0 Overs (Robin Uthappa 34, Manish Pandey 33*) by 16 runs (D/L Method)

Man of the Match: David Warner for his match winning knock 91 of 55