Kane Williamson-Martin Guptill beat Marcus Stoinis-Daniel Sams in batting fest: WATCH

There is a significant buzz around the ongoing New Zealand vs Australia series. The two teams are scheduled to battle it out in five T20 matches in New Zealand, and considering the upcoming ICC World T20, both the participating nations will be keen to put up a strong show in the shortest format. After winning the opening contest of the series, the hosts claimed yet another crucial win after a closely fought battle at University Oval, Dunedin. 

New Zealand vs Australia: Kane Williamson and co. emerge victorious in a high-scoring encounter 

After losing their first game of the five-match series, Australia had a chance to redeem themselves when the two teams met again on Thursday. Aaron Finch won the toss and elected to field first. However, his decision backfired as the Kiwi batsmen took the Australian bowlers to the cleaners. Veteran opener Martin Guptill was the star for the home team, as he smashed 97 from just 50 deliveries against a formidable bowling attack. 

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Apart from Martin Guptill, skipper Kane Williamson also showcased outstanding batsmanship as he raked in a remarkable half-century in the contest. It was Jimmy Neesham who ensured that the side reaches a humongous total of 219 on the surface. The all-rounder played exceptionally well and remained unbeaten on 45. The player's knock proved to be the turning point in the game, as he just took 16 deliveries for his 45, where he struck 6 stunning sixes.

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Australia got off to a decent start, and Josh Philippe impressed with a gutsy 45. However, it was Marcus Stoinis who stole the show with his explosive batting on the surface. The 31-year-old almost won the game for his side with his 37-ball 78. He got able support from Daniel Sams, who also chipped in with a quick-fire 41 lower down the order.

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New Zealand's Mitchell Santner was the pick of the bowlers in the high-scoring thriller, as he picked up four crucial wickets, and conceded just 31 runs in the game. In spite of the spirited outing, Australia ultimately lost the contest by 4 runs. Watch the highlights of the exhilarating match here - 

VIDEO SOURCE: FANCODE 

RCB players for IPL 2021: Daniel Sams and Josh Philippe to play under Virat Kohli 

RCB players retained

Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Yuzvendra Chahal, Devdutt Padikkal, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Washington Sundar, Kane Richardson, Josh Philippe, Adam Zampa, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pavan Deshpande, Daniel Sams (traded from DC), Harshal Patel (traded from DC). 

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RCB players bought at IPL 2021 auction

Kyle Jamieson (₹15 crore), Glenn Maxwell (₹14.25 crore), Dan Christian (₹4.8 crore), Sachin Baby (₹20 lakh), Rajat Patidar (₹20 lakh), Mohammed Azharuddeen (₹20 lakh), Suyash Prabhudesai (₹20 lakh), KS Bharat (₹20 lakh).

Mitchell Santner IPL team

The left-arm spinner was retained by the Chennai Super Kings ahead of the IPL auction. The left-hander with his ability to bowl economical spells under pressure could make a significant impact in the upcoming edition of the cash-rich league. Moreover, the 29-year-old also can contribute with the bat, which makes him a force to reckon with in T20 cricket. 

IMAGE SOURCE: ICC TWITTER