Kumar Sangakkara smashed his way to an unbeaten 61 as Kandurata Maroons scored a challenging 168 for three against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their qualifying match for the Champions league Twenty20 match here on Tuesday.
The Sri lankan side was struggling, having lost both the openers inside first five over, but Sangakkara and skipper lahiru Thirimanne (54) joined forces to help the side a stiff target before the Indian outfit.
The two shared a 89-run stand for the third wicket and it was Hyderabad paceman Ishant Sharma, who broke the partnership when he clean bowled Thirimanne with a full length delivery.
Sharma was the best bowler to watch as he kept the lankan batsmen under a leash, giving away just 20 runs and taking two crucial wickets. Before being bowled by him, Thirimanne tormented the Indian side with his 39-ball innings, which had five fours and two sixes. Sangakkara’s 46-ball knock was embellished with seven fours apart from impressive running between the wickets.
Brief Scores: Maroons: 168/3 in 20 overs (Sangakkara 61 no; Ishant 2/20) against Hyderabad.