Mohali: Playing a captain's knock (71 off 53 balls), Shikhar Dhawan led Sunrisers Hyderabad from the front and helped them beat Kandurata Maroons by eight wickets and nine balls to spare in the Champions League T20 qualifiers at the PCA Stadium, Mohali on Tuesday.

Chasing a stiff target of 169 runs to win, Dhawan and Pathiv Patel gave an astounding start to the Hyderabad team as they added 121 runs for the opening wicket that nearly sealed the match in Sunrisers' favour. Patel was the first man to fall at 52 when Jayaratne caught him off Jayasuriya. Patel’s 52 came off 42 with seven boundaries.

Thereaffer, Dhawan’s too didn't last long as he was dismissed while attempting a reverse sweep off Ajantha Mendis but found Nuwan Kulasekara at backward square. His 71 came off 53 balls.

Earlier, Maroons had scored a challenging 168 for three on the back of superb batting by Kumar Sangakkara (61 not out) and skipper Lahiru Thirimanne (54) but the Indian openers reduced the match to a lop-sided affair.