Bhuvneshwar Kumar claims five-wicket haul in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s thrilling win

Bhuvneshwar Kumar claimed his maiden five-wicket haul in Indian Premier League to bowl defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad to a narrow win over Kings XI Punjab.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, hailed as the best bowler in the final overs by Sunrisers Hyderabad teammate Ashish Nehra, lived up to that reputation with a brilliant show against Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League on Monday. (SRH vs KXIP HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD)

Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s incredible figures of 5/19 helped Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Kings XI Punjab by five runs in a tight encounter in IPL 2017. (AFP)

Bhuvneshwar Kumar captured his first five-wicket haul in IPL as the defending champions defeated KXIP by five runs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

Bhuvneshwar, 27, the leading wicket-taker of IPL 2016 with 23 wickets, struck initially and then removed opener Manan Vohra, who threatened to take the match away with a 50-ball 95, in the 19th over.

Bhuvneshwar is the leading wickettaker in this IPL, and his sensational haul of 5/19 on Monday took his tally to 15 wickets.

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The Uttar Pradesh seamer has been Sunrisers Hyderabad’s stand out player for the third match in a row. But unlike the previous matches, against Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, SRH ended on the winning side.

After claiming 3/20 against KKR --- he took 3/21 versus MI --- at Eden Gardens in the 15-run loss, Nehra hailed him as one of the best slog-over bowlers in India.

“Earlier people used to think he’s only a new ball bowler. Between him and Jasprit Bumrah, the two who only play ODIs, Bhuvi has been one of the best death bowlers. He will definitely improve from here onwards. He’s a very hardworking guy,” Nehra said.

Bhuvi has led the way in his typically quiet manner in a team where teenaged Afghan leg spinner, Rashid Khan, has caught the imagination of the cricket world with his brilliant show on his IPL debut. Rashid claimed two wickets on Monday to take his tally to nine wickets.

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Last year, Bangladesh paceman, Mustafiqur Rahman’s 17 wickets proved vital in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s victory, but he has played one match this season after arriving late due to fitness issues.

But Bhuvneshwar has taken charge to ensure his team does not miss much in the bowling department. He also accounted for the dangerous Glenn Maxwell, the Kings XI Punjab skipper, for 10 runs.

Bhuvneshwar had to endure some frustration in the home season as he got to play just three of the 13 Tests. But his freshness is helping Sunrisers Hyderabad, who posted their third win in five matches on Monday.