SRH enter the top four of the IPL 2022 points table.
SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) continued their charge up in the IPL 2022 points table by brushing aside the Punjab Kings (PBKS) with a seven-wicket victory on Sunday, 17 April.
Kane Williamson won the toss and, as has been the norm this season, asked PBKS to bat first. Liam Livingstone showed brilliant adaptability and poise on the tricky DY Patil Sports Stadium pitch. But other batters struggled to convert their starts into big knocks and Punjab were all-out for a sub-par 151 in 20 overs.
SRH were far from a one-man show in their reply. Except for Williamson, all top-five batters scored more than 30 runs. Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran remained unbeaten at the end and took GT across the line in 18.5 overs.
IPL 2022 updated points table
The result sent both teams in opposite directions on the points table. SRH entered the top four for the first time this season and will be brimming with confidence after four consecutive wins. They are still the only team with a negative net run rate (NRR) in the top 8, but -0.077 is much better than -0.196 from before the match.
PBKS, meanwhile, slipped from No. 5 to No. 7 with their NRR also taking a major hit – from 0.239 to 0.109.
IPL 2022 Orange Cap list updated
Liam Livingstone gets to No. 4 in the IPL 2022 Orange Cap race.
Livingstone’s effort of 60 (33) took his runs for the season to 224 from six games. He stormed straight into the top four of the Orange Cap race, sitting just four runs behind Gujarat Titans’ (GT) Hardik Pandya. The PBKS all-rounder also has the best strike rate in the top 10 – a stunning 185.12.
His teammate and today’s interim captain Shikhar Dhawan also improved his numbers, though by just eight runs. He now sits at No. 8 in the chart, two spots up from before the match. His tally of 205 runs is at parity with SRH’s Rahul Tripathi, who got a much-deserved mention in the top 10 due to his score of 34 (22).
IPL 2022 Purple Cap list updated
T Natarajan levels with Yuzvendra Chahal for 12 wickets.
SRH’s left-arm pacer T Natarajan was a bit expensive but picked up the early wicket of PBKS opener Prabhsmiran Singh, which took him straight to No. 2 in the IPL 2022 Purple Cap chart. He’s now level on 12 wickets with Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) Yuzvendra Chahal and is only behind him on the economy rate.
His teammate and express pacer Umran Malik also added four brilliant wickets to his tally, getting rid of Jitesh Sharma, Odean Smith, and two tailenders to prevent PBKS from getting a late flourish. This helped him jump into the top 10 for the first time. He’s now placed eighth with six wickets. He’s at par with PBKS’ Rahul Chahar who also took two wickets in a losing cause, moving two places up to No. 7.
