Sunrisers Hyderabad Crush RCB by 55 Runs in IPL Thriller
Sunrisers Hyderabad registered an impressive 55-run victory over defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in an Indian Premier League match played on Friday night at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Uppal, Hyderabad.
With the victory, Sunrisers Hyderabad ended their league campaign on a winning note, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru suffered disappointment in their final league-stage match.
Despite the defeat, RCB retained the top spot in the points table with 18 points. Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad also finished with 18 points, but remained in second and third place respectively due to net run rate differences.
As a result, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will face Gujarat Titans in the first playoff qualifier next Tuesday.
Abhishek, Ishan and Klaasen Power SRH
Batting first, Sunrisers Hyderabad piled up a massive 255 for 4 in their 20 overs.
Travis Head (26) and Abhishek Sharma gave SRH a strong start by adding 45 runs for the opening wicket in just four overs.
Abhishek Sharma later combined with Ishan Kishan for a quick 52-run partnership for the second wicket before Sharma was dismissed for 56.
The innings gained further momentum when Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen added a blistering 113 runs off just 48 balls for the third wicket.
Ishan Kishan smashed 79 runs with eight boundaries and three sixes, while Heinrich Klaasen scored 51 with five fours and two sixes. Nitish Kumar Reddy remained unbeaten on 29.
For RCB, Rasikh Salam claimed two wickets.
Kohli Creates IPL Record Despite RCB Loss
Chasing a daunting target of 256, Royal Challengers Bengaluru managed only 200 for 4 in their 20 overs.
The match marked a historic milestone for Virat Kohli, who played his 281st IPL match to become the player with the most appearances in IPL history, surpassing Rohit Sharma’s previous record of 280 matches.
However, Kohli could score only 15 runs.
Venkatesh Iyer (44) and Kohli provided a rapid start with a 60-run partnership in 27 balls, but their dismissals within a short span weakened RCB’s chase.
Devdutt Padikkal contributed 21 runs.
Captain Rajat Patidar scored 56, while Krunal Pandya remained unbeaten on 41. The pair added 84 runs for the fourth wicket, but the required run rate proved too steep.
Tim David stayed unbeaten on 15.
Sri Lankan pacer Eshan Malinga impressed with the ball, taking 2 wickets for 33 runs.
Player of the Match
Ishan Kishan was named Player of the Match for his explosive innings of 79 runs.
