Sunrisers played like a settled team: Steyn

Despite being a new team, Sunrisers Hyderabad played like a settled outfit in their debut Indian Premier League match against Pune Warriors on Friday night, said the side's pace spearhead Dale Steyn. Defending a small total of 126 for six, Steyn grabbed three wickets in a sensational over to help Sunrisers Hyderabad spank Pune Warriors by 22 runs on Friday night. "I thought we played very well. We fought well which is a good sign for a new team. In a new franchise, it's normally about discovering yourself, but we played like a team that has been together for long. It was a fantastic win," Steyn reporters at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The South African pacer felt that a score of 140 would have been more than competitive on the Uppal pitch. "Like I said earlier, we bowled fantastically well and got ourselves back into the game. At one stage, we were probably looking at 6 runs an over, may be two big overs to get us to 150. Even 140 plus would have been a great score on this particular wicket. To defend 126 is good," Steyn said. "It was probably a more bowler-friendly wicket. It was not a free-flowing wicket. You could not just go there and play your shots. The ball was not quite coming onto the bat. "I think we bowled well, batted well, assessed conditions pretty well. It was a good fighting game," he said. Steyn also had words of appreciation for his pacer partners Ishant Sharma and Thisara Perera, and felt the duo make a difference with their valuable contributions. "I think our bowling is a lot better with Ishant back. Perera brings something to the game. He replaces somebody like Dan Christian. You make him bat and bowl and that's exactly what Perera is doing for us. So, it's nice to have him and Ishant. That makes massive difference," he said. Meanwhile, Pune Warriors leg-spinner Rahul Sharma said they could not click as a team last night but hoped to comeback stronger in the coming games. "It happens in T20. It is a new team, new captain has taken over. It was our first match and we will try to improve," he said.