IPL 2017: Showman Yuvraj Singh fires opening salvo, helps SRH beat RCB

A vintage Yuvraj Singh hammered Royal Challengers Bangalore bowlers to submission with 27-ball-62 as Sunrisers Hyderabad registered a 35-run win in the opening game of the IPL-10 here on Wednesday.

On a batting beauty, Yuvraj smashed the RCB bowlers to cleaners after Srinath Aravind dropped a dolly at deep square leg boundary. Yuvraj was on 26 then and the let-off allowed him to score his fastest IPL half-century off 23 balls.

Sunrisers posted a commendable 207 for four with Moises Henriques’ also contributing with 52 off 37 balls. In reply, Royal Challengers got off to a good start with Mandeep Singh and Chris Gayle getting in a few big hits. But neither of them nor any of the following stayed long enough at the crease to make a difference. They were bowled out for 172. 

The highlight of the match will be the impressive debut in the league by Sunrisers leg-spinner from Afghanistan Rashid Khan, who ended with figures of two for 36 from his four overs. The spinner, who fetched a price of Rs 4 crore in the auction, picked up his maiden wicket in his first over itself as Mandeep played on a ball that kept low.

Earlier,  the Yuvraj-Henriques pair added 58 runs runs in only 4.5 overs after Shikhar Dhawan (40) was involved in a 74-run stand for the second wicket.Yuvraj’s innings had seven fours and three sixes while Henriques’ innings had three fours and two sixes.