Sensational David Warner knock sends Sunrisers Hyderabad into IPL final against Bangalore

Gujarat Lions 162-7 (Finch 50; Cutting 2-20)

Sunrisers Hyderabad 163-6 (Warner 93 not out; Kaushik 2-22)

Sunrisers Hyderabad win by four wickets.

A captain is as good as his team. And individual brilliance can still snatch a Twenty20 game away even from jaws of defeat.

David Warner epitomised both of these as he single-handedly mastered a difficult chase to take Sunrisers Hyderabad into the final of the ninth edition of IPL.

Hyderabad, chasing Gujarat Lions’ 162 for seven, made it home in the final over after the captain and opener carried his bat with a classy 93 runs from 58 balls in a four-wicket victory.

Hyderabad will meet Royal Challengers Bangalore but that looked difficult at one stage when they were being dismantled at 84 for five. But Warner did an AB de Villiers from the first Qualifier, kept strike for most part of the final four overs, and saw his team home with some help from Bipul Sharma (27 not out).

“It’s a team game,” Warner told StarSports in the post-match presentation ceremony. “It is all about having one batsman in a good partnership. It was my turn to take us to the end.”

If Warner, the only successful batsman for his team, backed himself with the bat at the final hurdle, he showed full confidence in his teammates before going in for the toss.

Despite being desperate for a win, Hyderabad faced a situation in which Mustafizur Rahman was not fit and fellow pace bowler Ashish Nehra already on the sidelines. Warner reposed his faith in Trent Boult and Ben Cutting, who did not have much of a play recently.

Boult trapped Gujarat captain Suresh Raina leg before and effected a run-out.

Cutting took two wickets, including that of Gujarat’s mainstay Aaron Finch (50) just when he threatened to cut loose as Gujarat’s own recovery man.

Out-of-form opener Finch was dropped down the order, and he provided the platform as Gujarat also recovered from 83 for five, an almost identical stage that Hyderabad found themselves in end.

Warner was the difference in the end, however. And it will be a worrying sign going into the final that it has been mostly up to him to see his side home on the batting front.

The Australian said his side would keep their gameplan for the final simple as well, even though he conceded “there are a few emotions about some silly shots and errors” without taking names of any of his players.

“For the final, we will not worry about their players but executing our plans,” he added.

His counterpart Raina said the score of 163 was “defendable”, but he gave credit to the rivals.

“Warner batted really well. We were a new team, a new venue to play,” he said.

With agency.

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