It was a clinical performance by SRH to keep the top two hunt open / India Today
Sunrisers Hyderabad, though out of contention themselves, kept the top-two race interesting by beating RCB by a big margin. RCB remain one point behind leaders GT and are on par with PBKS, but with a weaker net run rate. On a night where they needed to show their mettle, their batting lineup collapsed dramatically, making it easier for other teams to skip ahead.
Toss and Team News
RCB’s regular skipper, Rajat Patidar, was benched, and Jitesh Sharma took over the captaincy. He won the toss and decided to bowl first. They made one change: Mayank Agarwal replaced the injured Devdutt Padikkal. For SRH, there were three changes, with Travis Head, Abhinav Manohar, and Jaydev Unadkat coming in.
SRH Playing XI: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Abhinav Manohar, Pat Cummins (capt), Harshal Patel, Eshan Malinga, Jaydev Unadkat
Impact Subs: Mohammed Shami, Harsh Dubey, Sachin Baby, Zeeshan Ansari, Simarjeet Singh
RCB Playing XI: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarwal, Jitesh Sharma (capt, wk), Romario Shepherd, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Lungi Ngidi, Suyash Sharma
Impact Subs: Rajat Patidar, Rasikh Dar, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh
Ishan Kishan’s Explosive Innings After a Strong Start by Openers
The best aspect of SRH’s innings was that they looked like their older, aggressive selves, attacking every ball despite losing wickets at regular intervals. Almost every batter chipped in with sixes, with a total of 15 hit in the entire innings. Interestingly, Travis Head hit none of them.
SRH had a strong start with Abhishek Sharma hitting three sixes in the first three overs. He perished trying to hit a fourth, scoring 34 off 17. Head scored 3 fours and was caught after scoring 17. Klaasen smashed two long sixes off Suyash Sharma’s loose deliveries before getting out for 24. Aniket Verma played a very useful cameo, scoring 26 off just 9 balls with three maximums.
However, it was Ishan Kishan who caused the most damage. The left-handed batter, who had been out of form since his century in the first match, came alive and became the main aggressor for SRH, scoring an unbeaten 94 off just 48 balls, including 7 fours and 5 sixes. He ensured SRH reached a high total of 231.
Kohli-Salt Partnership at the Top, But Lower Order Collapses
Led by a ruthless new version of Virat Kohli, RCB made a thunderous start, despite Salt struggling early on. Kohli ensured the required rate was under control, scoring 62 off 32 balls with five sixes. Salt took over the mantle after Kohli’s dismissal, contributing 43 off 25. Agarwal’s return was disappointing, scoring just 11 off 10 deliveries.
There was a solid partnership between Jitesh Sharma and Rajat Patidar after those three dismissals. At one point, RCB seemed to be cruising toward their record chase, needing just 58 in 5 overs. But a two-wicket over by Eshan Malinga halted their momentum. Suddenly, the ball became impossible to time, with Patidar and Romario Shepherd dismissed in the same over. Jitesh Sharma followed in the next over, and Tim David was out for just one.
It was a shameful collapse by RCB’s middle and lower order, adding just 16 runs in the final four and a half overs before being bowled out. Pat Cummins was at his brilliant best, taking three wickets and conceding just 28 runs in his four overs. Eshan Malinga bowled well too, claiming two wickets for 37.
Man of the Match: Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan won his second Man of the Match award this season, the first coming in the opening match of the 2025 IPL.
