SRH vs RCB: All-round show helps RCB end 6-match losing streak, keep playoff hopes alive

RCB win!

Royal Challengers Bengaluru end their 6-match losing streak after exactly a month. The last win came on March 25 against Punjab Kings at home. And now, they have won against Hyderabad. It was an all-round show in Hyderabad and that takes them to a win final. RCB win by 35 runs.

SRH 171/8 in 20
RCB 206/7 in 20

Hyderabad 8 down

Bhuvneshwar Kumar departs to put RCB just two wickets away from a win. This win will end RCB’s 6-match losing streak.

SRH 141/8 after 16

🚨 DK injured!

Anuj Rawat has come in as the substitute keeper as Dinesh Karthik is off. He has suffered an injury.

SRH need 75 off 30

7 down and Hyderabad need 75 off 30. They still have Shahbaz Ahmed on the crease. Can SRH pull off a heist?

SRH 132/7 after 15

Green removes his captain

Cameron Green has struck on the first delivery and it’s Pat Cummins who falls. It was an entertaining knock of 15-ball 31. It will be a big relief for RCB as he could have taken the match away from RCB.

SRH 124/7 after 13.1

Cummins on 🔥

What if Hyderabad have lost 6 wickets, there is still Pat Cummins. And the SRH captain is going all guns blazing. He hit Swapnil Singh for two sixes and then he hammered Karn Sharma for a four and a six.

SRH 119/6 after 12

SRH 6 down!

Hyderabad lose another and it’s Abdul Samad. Karn Sharma strikes again and he gets Samad with a fine catch on the follow-through.

SRH 85/6 after 9.1

SRH 5 down!

Hyderabad keep losing wickets and this time, Nitish Reddy departs. Karn Sharma strikes and Hyderabad lose 5th wicket.

SRH 69/5 after 7.2

Old Hyderabad returns

SRH were scoring up and above 100 in powerplay. But today, RCB have shut them down. SRH are 62/4 after 6.

A win for RCB?

Swapnil Singh has struck again and it’s Heinrich Klaasen who departs. It has been a 19-run over. But SRH have lost Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen both. RCB are on top and SRH are in trouble.

SRH 56/4 after 5

RCB in control

RCB have roared back in the bowling department. Aiden Markram departs now and he will be very disappointed. He missed the fulltoss completely and despite taking a review, all three returned red. Swapnil Singh gets the big wicket.

SRH 41/3 after 4.2

Abhishek Sharma falls!

Don’t write off RCB yet. Yash Dayal has struck in the powerplay and it’s the big-hitting Abhishek Sharma who departs for 13-ball 31.

SRH 37/2 after 3.4

Abhishek takes charge!

Travis Head might have fallen but Abhishek Sharma is going strong. Will Jacks has no luck in his 2nd over as Abhishek hammers him for three big sixes.

SRH 31/1 after 3

No storm!

RCB can breathe a sigh of relief. Will Jacks gamble pay off brilliantly as he removes Travis Head in the first over.

SRH 3/1 after 1

Storm incoming!

Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma all set to begin 207-run chase. The last time two were up against RCB, they blew them away. Will there be a repeat? Will Jacks will bowl the first over to the two left-handers.

RCB set 207-run target

RCB get 12 runs from the final over to finish at 206/7 at the end of their first innings.

Dinesh Karthik flops

No fireworks from RCB’s Dinesh Karthik in Hyderabad as Cummins strikes to get rid of the danger man.

RCB are 193/6

Celeb watch!

Unadkat strikes again!

Unadkat strikes again to remove Mahipal Lomror. The batter sends the ball way high up in the air and SRH skipper Pat Cummins completes a comfortable catch near the boundary.

RCB are 161/5

Virat Kohli goes

Jaidev Unadkat strikes to remove Virat Kohli for the first-time ever in T20s.

RCB are 140/4

Virat Kohli smashes half-century

Another record breaker?

The last time RCB faced Sunrisers Hyderabad, they shattered records. A total of 549 runs were scored with SRH smashing 287 runs. Travis Head was at his destructive best. While Dinesh Karthik led a fight back, it was not enough.

Do-or-die for RCB

But records won’t matter much if RCB end up losing their 7th match on the trot. A loss in Hyderabad will all but end RCB’s hopes of qualification. They need to score a minimum of 14 points. But if they lose today, they can get to a maximum of 12 points.

Our combined XI for SRH vs RCB

RCB chants echo in Hyderabad

Du Plessis has some fun before SRH game

Toss

RCB opt to bat first. So no records will be broken tonight.

Cummins

It’s been awesome, good to be back here. It’s my first year here. The amount of people wearing orange, feels like a good place. We want to bat the same way. We have to adjust quicker as a bowling side. Unadkat comes in for Washington Sundar.

Playing XIs

Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Nitish Reddy, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins(c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Mayank Markande, T Natarajan

Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis(c), Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik(w), Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal

Faf says

We are gonna bat first. We feel like our fans go with us everywhere. These boys (SRH) have been playing some amazing cricket, especially batting. Hopefully we can put some scoreboard pressure on them. They’ve been batting really well when they’ve been setting scores. I was really proud with the way we played the previous game. We fought really hard with ball in hand. Two games in a row now, we’ve put some really good scores. Same team as the previous game.

Kohli starts with four

Abhishek Sharma starts the proceedings, and he is flicked for a four. That is excellent start by Virat Kohli. RCB 10/0 after 1 over.

Bhuvi from other end

Two fours come from Bhuvneshwar Kumar over and Faf is off as well. In fact, make it three as 14 runs come from the over. RCB 24/0 in 2 overs.

Poor shot

Faf plays a poor aerial shot on a slower bouncer from Natarajan. He was playing so well, and scored 25 from 12. RCB 48/1 in 3.5 overs.

Powerplay done

So after 6 overs, RCB have scored 61/1. This looks way lower to what SRH has managed this season.

Powerplay done

So after 6 overs, RCB have scored 61/1. This looks way lower to what SRH has managed this season.

Out

Crowd going berserk seeing Kohli, but RCB have lost Jacks. It is 66/2.

Out

Kohli has completed 400 runs this year. It is 86/2 in 9.2 overs.

Four sixes

Mayank Markande is hit for four sixes in the over by Patidar. What a show by the wicket-keeper batsman. He is 46 from 15.