India, April 22 -- The way T20 cricket is unfolding now, not even Abhishek Sharma was sure of what would have been the par score on a parched Hyderabad pitch. So, he batted the entire 20 overs for the first time ever, hitting 10 sixes in a 68-ball 135*-his second best score in IPL- and lifted Sunrisers Hyderabad to 242/2.

His worries were unfounded though, as Delhi Capitals were restricted to 195/9. Nitish Rana thrilled with a 30-ball 57 but pacer Eshan Malinga (4/32) dismissed him and David Miller off consecutive balls to halt Capitals in their tracks before they crumbled slowly.

Eight out of nine times before this had Sunrisers won defending 200-plus totals. But this goes beyond any template now-SRH batting first in all their games so...