Rahul Tripathi hit a match-winning half-century and kept the home fans on their feet as  Sunrisers Hyderabad registered its first win of the  IPL 2023 season, defeating  Punjab Kings by eight wickets at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday.

Chasing 144 runs, Tripathi shouldered responsibility and scored a brilliant half-century in 36 balls – his first of the season and 11th overall in the IPL. The batter finished unbeaten on 74 off 48 balls, laced with 10 boundaries and three sixes.

Tripathi was free-flowing with the willow, playing to the merit of the ball and punishing the bowlers when they erred in length. Batting with a slightly wider stance, Tripathi bided time and adjusted to the pace and bounce of the wicket before breaking free. Tripathi also used his feet well against the spinners, employing the sweep shot to perfection.

SRH tinkered with its batting line-up once again, this time by promoting Harry Brook to open the innings. Brook and Mayank Agarwal offered a sedate start before Arshdeep Singh provided the breakthrough by castling the Englishman with a knuckleball. Brook had found a liking to the pace of Punjab bowlers by hitting three boundaries.

Agarwal was handed a life while batting on 14 as wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma dropped the opener, but that did not hurt Punjab as Rahul Chahar ended the opener’s scratchy stay at the wicket. Skipper Aiden Markram then joined hands with Tripathi as the duo forged an unbeaten 100-run stand in 52 deliveries to hand Punjab its first loss of the season.

-V.S. Aravind

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