After a commanding bowling performance against Royal Challengers Bangalore’s high scoring batting line-up, Sunrisers Hyderabad made short work of the 120-run chase, going on to win by 5 wickets in Sharjah on Saturday evening (October 31). Wriddhiman Saha top scored with 39 for SRH as Jason Holder applied the finishing touches on what was eventually a comfortable win with more than five overs to spare.
Sandeep Sharma pegged RCB back early on with two quick wickets, including his seventh against Virat Kohli and the rest of the bowlers took the cue, the likes of Rashid Khan, T Natarajan and co ensured that RCB would not be able to fight back from 28/2.
Asked to bat first, Josh Philippe and Devdutt Padikkal (5) made a steady start in the first couple of overs before Sharma cleaned up the left hander. Virat Kohli’s (7) scalp followed soon after with Kane Williamson taking a sharp catch at short cover.
Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers made a run-a-ball 24 before perishing and was followed by Josh Philippe (32) who failed to kick on, falling to Rashid Khan while trying to break the shackles.
That left RCB in a spot of bother at 76/4. SRH’s bowlers continued to keep their shape and affected regular dismissals, not allowing RCB to tee off in a small ground.
RCB's struggle with the bat can be gauged from the fact that they hit only nine boundaries and a six in their entire innings despite having the likes of Padikkal, Kohli, De Villers and Chris Morris up their ranks.
Washington Sundar (21) and Gurkeerat Singh (15 not out) tried to resurrect the innings with a 30-run fifth-wicket stand but they never got going as Jason Holder and T Natarajan bowled accurately and restricted RCB to 120/7.
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s chase did not begin too well, unlike Mumbai in the first game of the day, as David Warner (8) was caught by Isuru Udana when he tried to attack Sundar for the second time in the over.
Manish Pandey (26) and Saha then stitched together a fifty-run partnership before Yuzvendra Chahal struck. Pandey’s attempted slog sweep was well caught by Chris Morris as RCB started to claw their way back.
Kane Williamson and Saha continued to chip away and the Kiwi even survived a close run-out call at the non-striker’s end. Soon enough though, RCB found the breakthrough as Saha, who danced down the track in search of a big one, was left stranded and stumped.
Williamson was then caught by Kohli off Udana for 8 with the score at 87/4 and RCB sensing a chance to fightback.
Young Abhishek Verma (8) and Jason Holder (26*) took Navdeep Saini for 19 runs in the 14th before the West Indies captain rounded off the chase by hammering Chahal for his third six off the first delivery of the next over.
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