Bengaluru: In a high-octane match at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) put up a valiant effort but fell short just 25-runs against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Monday in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
Despite a commanding half-century from Dinesh Karthik and a blistering powerplay partnership between skipper Faf Du Plessis and Virat Kohli, RCB couldn’t chase down the daunting 288-run target set by SRH. RCB managed to post a commendable 262/7 in their pursuit but it wasn’t enough to secure victory in Bengaluru.
Following this defeat, RCB finds itself at the bottom of the table, having secured just one win in seven matches this season. Meanwhile, SRH boasts four wins and two losses, accumulating eight points and currently occupying the fourth position on the points table.
Earlier in the first innings, an explosive ton by Travis Head and a fiery half-century by Heinrich Klaasen were the highlights as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) posted 287/3, the highest total of the Indian Premier League (IPL) history
Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma set the tone early for their team in the powerplay, leaving RCB rattled from the outset. While Sharma departed early, Heinrich Klaasen joined the attack at number three. Head reached his century off a mere 39 balls, while Klaasen notched up his half-century in just 23 deliveries.
SRH didn’t let up on their aggressive momentum, with Aiden Markram and Abdul Samad delivering stunning cameos. Markram’s brisk 32 off 17 and Samad’s explosive 37 off just 10 balls were instrumental in SRH shattering their own record and set a new highest total in the history of the IPL.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Faf du Plessis won toss and opted to bowl first against Pat Cummins-led Sunrisers Hyderabad. After winning the toss RCB captain Faf du Plessis said, “We are going to have a chase. It has been the same throughout the season. It’s been a bit slower. We haven’t played our best cricket. Feels like most of the times we haven’t played to our full potential. We have made changes to see if we can turn it around. Maxwell is sitting out, Siraj is sitting out. Ferguson is coming in.”
SRH skipper Pat Cummins at the toss said, “The way we have gone about it, have been a few great wins. Can’t win every game in T20 cricket. We go in with the same team like the last game. You never know here at the Chinnaswamy, (sometimes) 240 is par.”
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis(c), Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Saurav Chauhan, Dinesh Karthik(w), Mahipal Lomror, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Reece Topley, Lockie Ferguson, Yash Dayal
Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins(c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, T Natarajan
