Explosive Australia opening batter David Warner saved the best for his former franchise as his magnificent 92 not out off 58 balls powered Delhi Capitals to a 21-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their Indian Premier League match in Mumbai on Thursday.
Warner made his highest score of the season with the help of 12 fours and three sixes in a power-packed batting display and shared 122 runs with Rovman Powell (67 not out off 35 balls) for the unconquered fourth wicket to guide the Capitals to 207 for 3 after being asked to bat.
The Capitals then restricted the Sunrisers to 186 for 8 with Khaleel Ahmed (3/30) and Shardul Thakur (2/44) sharing five wickets between them to notch up their fifth win of the season.
The Capitals jumped two places to fifth with 10 points from 10 matches while the Sunrisers slipped a spot to sixth after their third consecutive loss.
Warner was sacked from captaincy and dropped from the Sunrisers playing eleven under controversial circumstances last season.
Chasing a stiff target of 208, the Sunrisers made a disastrous start as they were three down for a mere 37 runs at the end of seventh over as Abhishek Sharma (7) and Rahul Tripathi (22) as well as captain Kane Williamson (4) got out early. They fell short in the end despite some heroic efforts by Aiden Markram (42 off 25 balls) and Nicholas Pooran (62 off 34 balls).
Markram and Pooran stitched 60 runs from 5.5 overs to keep the Sunrisers in the hunt. After Markram was out in the 13th over, Pooran continued his onslaught but the asking rate kept on rising.
The Sunrisers needed 74 from the final five overs but once Pooran, who was dropped twice, was out in the 18th over, the match was as good as over. Pooran hit two fours and six sixes during his heroic innings. Earlier, Warner and Powell scored 70 runs from the final five overs, going hammer and tongs against a hapless SRH attack.
Warner struck his fourth half century of season and it was his best and Capital’s highest individual score this season.
The marauding Australian also taught some lesson on pace sensation Umran Malik, who bowled this season’s fastest delivery at 154.8kmph, punishing the youngster for 32 runs in his first spell of two overs.
Powell smashed Malik for three fours and one six in the final over which yielded 19 runs.
It was a really bad day in office for young Mailk, who had taken five wickets against Gujarat Titans on April 27, as he conceded 52 runs without any wicket.
Warner smashed Malik for two fours and a six in the fourth over which yielded 21 runs as the Capitals ended the powerplay at 50 for 2 with Warner contributing 31.
Mandeep Singh (0) was dismissed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar off the fifth ball of the innings while Mitchell Marsh Mitchell Marsh was caught and bowled by Sean Abbott in the fifth over.
The ninth over yielded 23 runs and one wicket, that of captain Rishabh Pant (26 off 16) who hit three successive sixes and one four off Gopal. Pant, however, dragged the last delivery of the over on to his stumps.
The Capitals were poised for a big total as they reached 91 for 3 at the halfway mark.
Warner completed his fifty with a four off the first ball of the 12th over bowled by Malik with one delivery clocking 154.8 kmph, the third fastest in IPL history.
Big-hitting Powell, who was dropped when on 18 by Kane Williamson off Malik, joined the party later on, hitting five sixes Abbott for two consecutive sixes in the 17th over which yielded 18 runs.
