Balance the key for Warner's Sunrisers

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner says finding the balance between bat and ball has helped his side remain in the hunt for the Indian Premier League play-offs. 

One of the biggest questions facing the Sunrisers this season is whether to play South Africa spearhead Dale Steyn or New Zealand wizard Trent Boult or use the pair in tandem. 

Boult got the nod in the opening rounds before the Proteas paceman had his turn to take the new white ball.

They were both selected against the Mumbai Indians, forcing coach Tom Moody to weaken an already fragile middle-order by dropping an overseas batsman. 

The move backfired, failing to chase down Mumbai's modest total of 157.

Hyderabad reverted back to their original plan, installing allrounder Moises Henriques to buffer the middle-order batting and persist with left-armer Boult. 

The move worked wonders. Henriques posted a crucial 30 against Kings XI Punjab, sticking around long enough to help his team get to 150.

It turned out to be a match-winning score and a satisfied Warner said Hyderabad had finally managed to get the balance right, but says it's tough to choose between Boult and Steyn.

“It’s challenging to pick one out of Steyn and Boult, we try to get the balance right which we got right tonight,” Warner said at the post-match conference.

“I thought 160 was par. Mine was a key dismissal and the boys bowled fantastic after that. The bowlers won us the match and today it was a fantastic effort.”

The duel between Warner and Johnson lasted seven balls early in the innings as the Sunrisers opener laid into his Aussie teammate’s bowling. 

Off the first delivery from Johnson, Warner shimmied down the track and slashed one of the world's fiercest bowlers over slips, before cracking three fours and a six off the next five balls he faced against the Australian tearaway. 

At the end of his first spell of two overs, Johnson had conceded 25 runs, of which 20 had come off Warner’s bat.

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Johnson had a hard time bowling to a pumped up Warner // BCCI

Warner said it helped him to have played Johnson in the nets and also revealed what his strategy to play the quick bowler was.

“We face [Mitchell] Johnson a lot at home and my thinking was to make room and score runs. I got the better of him today, but he might get me next time,” said Warner who finished with 58 from 41 balls.

Punjab skipper George Bailey blamed the defeat on top-order failures including his own batting. Bailey was the second-highest scorer for Punjab but made only 22 and got out just when his partnership with Murali Vijay looked to be getting the side out of their early troubles.

“It was our batting, the top order again [that failed]. I’ll take responsibility again and we needed partnerships going but could not. It was a gettable target but top order couldn’t do it,” Bailey told the host broadcaster.

“The bowling was good to restrict them to 150. We are just trying to get a combination that works.

“I think no team are trying any harder than last year and we are not trying any lesser. Sandeep [Sharma] and Anureet [Singh] have been performing for us at the start as well as the death which is good to see.”