5 talking points from the first week of IPL 2019

#1 It's been the Warner-Bairstow Show!

Sunrisers Hyderabad were the runners-up in IPL 2018

Given the depth and quality of their squad, the Sunrisers Hyderabad have always been a tough opposition to win against. There was a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the Sunrisers this year, with Williamson dealing with an injury; Warner making his comeback and Shikhar Dhawan departing from the team. But all those questions and doubts, if there were any, have been silenced by the English-Australian duo of David Warner- Jonny Bairstow.

The newly-formed opening pair of Warner-Bairstow has dismantled opposition bowling line-ups, with the duo notching up 50+ opening stands in all their games so far. Warner and Bairstow are respectively No.1 and No.2 on the list of most runs scored in this year's IPL. In their match against the Royal Challengers, these two set the record for the highest first-wicket partnership (185 runs) in IPL history.

Considering the fact that Bairstow has always been seen as Test player, his debut season in the IPL has left fans and cricket pundits bewildered, as to why he wasn't picked earlier. It just took him three games to score his first IPL hundred, as he scored a jaw-dropping 114 off just 56 balls.

His partner-in-crime, the current 'orange-cap-holder' David Warner is leaving no stone unturned to announce his comeback. In the three games played in this year's IPL so far, Warner has scored two fifties and a hundred, taking his total to 254 runs at an average of 127.00.

Another thing to notice is the speed at which these two score their runs, with both Warner and Bairstow having a strike rate of over 160. The left hand-right hand combination works well to offset bowlers right at the start, allowing them to feast on the loose deliveries.

The Sunrisers look a formidable team to deal with, possessing one of the best bowling attacks in the IPL. With Warner and Bairstow in scintillating form, the Sunrisers are definitely the team to beat.