Malik four-for helps Hyderabad win four in a row

Tuesday, 19 April 2022 00:57 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

MUMBAI, AFP: Speedster Umran Malik returned figures of 4-28 including a maiden 20th over to help Sunrisers Hyderabad to their fourth straight IPL win as they beat Punjab Kings on Sunday.

Malik, an up and coming Kashmiri quick who has clocked speeds of over 150 kilometres per hour (93 mph) in this edition of the Twenty20 tournament, claimed three wickets in the final over that also witnessed a run-out to bowl out Punjab for 151.

Punjab batter Liam Livingstone hammered 60 off 33 balls before falling to Bhuvneshwar Kumar who claimed three wickets to reach 150 Indian Premier League scalps.

In reply, Hyderabad rode on a fourth-wicket unbeaten stand of 75 between Aiden Markram (41) and Nicholas Pooran (35) to achieve the target with seven balls and seven wickets to spare. Hyderabad were in trouble at 77 for three but Markram stood firm in Pooran’s company and finished the game off with a six in his 27-ball knock. Kane Williamson’s Hyderabad have been unbeaten after their opening two losses and jumped to fourth in the 10-team IPL table led by Gujarat Titans.

Malik, 22, remained the hero after his dramatic last over of the Punjab innings when he took three wickets including two on successive balls to be on a hat-trick on the final delivery which resulted in a run-out. He became the fourth bowler in IPL history after Irfan Pathan (India), Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka) and Jaydev Unadkat (India) to not concede a single run in the 20th over.

It was also the first instance of four wickets falling in an over without any runs. Livingstone remained the lone batting performer for Punjab as he put on 71 runs with Shahrukh Khan, who made 26, for the fifth wicket before Malik’s last over assault.