IPL Rewind – 2016: Sunrisers Hyderabad clinch maiden title
12 April 2016 – Led by a prolific David Warner, Sunrisers Hyderabad started their IPL 2016 voyage on a disappointing note after a drubbing against Royal Challengers Bangalore. A month later, the Orange Army went on to clinch their maiden IPL title by beating the same opposition in the final.
On 29th May, a robust Sunrisers squad, equipped with match-winners like skipper Warner and swing maestro Bhuvneshwar Kumar, denied Royal Challengers Bangalore their maiden IPL trophy. They clinched the final by eight runs. In the process, they even became the first and only side to win both Qualifier 1 and 2 before laying hands on the coveted trophy.
Warner goes berserk
Mustering 848 runs in the season, the swashbuckling southpaw had a crucial role in SRH’s title heist. Keeping aside his leadership, Warner’s batting antics made SRH’s title-winning expedition a walkover. Their bowling was headed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who stole the show by his magnificent bowling exhibit. He scalped 23 wickets in the season and also won the Purple Cap in the process.
Their journey though was anything but smooth sailing. Sunrisers had a shaky start as they suffered a defeat in their second match too, losing against Kolkata Knight Riders by eight wickets. The Orange Army strode to a victorious trail in their next eight matches. Picking up the momentum, the franchise registered seven triumphs in their next eight IPL encounters.
Despite suffering defeats in their last two games, Sunrisers paved their way in the Top-4 sides of the points table. Tied with RCB and KKR, they finished third in the table based on their Net Run Rate. But the race wasn’t finished yet. They had to emerge victorious in the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 to cruise in the final.
Eliminator & Qualifier 2
Locking horns with Kolkata Knight Riders in the Eliminator, Sunrisers registered 162/8 on the scoreboard and curbed KKR to 140/8 to clinch the vital encounter by 22 runs. Their bowling force, led by Bhuvneshwar’s three-wicket haul, emerged successful on the day to restrict KKR’s run-flow.
Coming on to the Qualifier 2, SRH hunted down the 162-run total with four deliveries in hand. It was none other than Warner who emerged as their talisman by smashing an unbeaten 93 off just 58 deliveries. After overcoming the two crucial hurdles, it all boiled down to SRH facing RCB in the final of the T20 extravaganza.
After winning the toss and electing to bat first, SRH amassed a challenging 208-run total on the back of Warner’s 69. The Australian’s ever-so-consistent tag was playing a crucial role in their voyage. However, RCB also put up a tough show while chasing with Chris Gayle hitting 76 off 38 deliveries. The Chinnaswamy stadium was all set to roar in joy as RCB was cruising to the target with every passing over.
Despite Gayle’s batting show and Virat Kohli’s half-century, RCB fell short of the target and SRH scripted history by lifting their maiden IPL trophy. Warner (848) and Shikhar Dhawan (510) were outstanding with the bat. While Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mustafizur Rahman scalped 23 and 17 wickets respectively.
Their top-performers of the 2016 edition– Warner and Bhuvneshwar are still associated with the franchise. Both Warner and Bhuvi have something to prove during the upcoming IPL edition in UAE. While Warner will be seeking redemption after regaining SRH’s captaincy, Bhuvneshwar will eye a berth in the national side by shining with the ball.
