NEW DELHI: Skipper David Warner’s scintillating 93 not out helped Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Gujarat Lions by four wickets in a hard fought Qualifier 2 on Friday to storm into the final of the Indian Premier League.

Chasing 163 for a win at Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, Hyderabad suffered from a lack partnerships but Australia’s Warner drove his team home with four balls to spare.

Warner’s 58-ball blitz, laced with 11 fours and three sixes, ensured Hyderabad book a final showdown with Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday.

In a precarious position at 117 for six, Warner found the perfect partner in Bipul Sharma (27 not out) to stitch together an unbeaten 46-run stand and bring to an end Gujarat’s dream run in their debut season.

Warner, who has managed 779 runs in 16 IPL matches this season to be behind leading run scorer Virat Kohli (919 runs in 15 games), scored all around the park to teach the Gujarat bowlers a bitter lesson.

Just when things seemed to be slipping away from Hyderabad, Sharma smashed three sixes in his 11-ball stay and helped the side get 19 runs from the 19th over bowled by Dwayne Bravo.

Bravo and chinaman bowler Shivil Kaushik bagged two wickets apiece but the bowlers’ economy rate took a beating amidst the late batting blitz.

Earlier put into bat, Gujarat rode on Aaron Finch’s 32-ball 50 to post 162 for seven in 20 overs against a disciplined Hyderabad bowling attack.

Hyderabad pace spearhead Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Australia’s Ben Cutting bagged two wickets each.

Gujarat lost a couple of early wickets including skipper Suresh Raina for one but opener Brendon McCullum (32) and Dinesh Karthik (26) counter attacked with great effect.

Raina was trapped LBW off New Zealand pacer Trent Boult, who got his first game of this IPL season after star bowler Mustafizur Rahman had to sit out with a hamstring niggle.

Boult also ran out a free flowing Karthik to dent Gujarat’s bid to score big, but Finch, whose innings was laced with seven fours and two sixes, had other ideas.

In the end Finch’s innings was dwarfed by Warner’s batting exploits that won him the man-of-the-match award.

Summarised scores:

GUJARAT LIONS 162-7 in 20 overs (A.J. Finch 50, B.B. McCullum 32, K.D. Karthik 26, D.J. Bravo 20; B.C.J. Cutting 2-20, B. Kumar 2-27); SUNRISERS HYDERABAD 163-6 in 19.2 overs (D.A. Warner 93 not out, Bipul Sharma 27 not out; S. Kaushik 2-22, D.J. Bravo 2-32).

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2016