Patidar, Green, and Karn contribute to RCB breaking their six-game losing streak -RCB vs SRH IPL 2024

RCB had a strong start, with Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis scoring quickly to reach 43/0 in just 3 overs after winning the toss. However, in the fourth over, T. Natarajan got the breakthrough by dismissing du Plessis for 25 off 12 balls. Shahbaz Ahmed followed up with a tight over, conceding only 2 runs. Kohli managed to hit a six in Natarajan’s second over, but overall, SRH managed to contain the scoring, limiting RCB to 61/1 after six overs.

Kohli started the middle overs slowly, batting on 32 off 18 balls. He was eventually dismissed for a 43-ball 51, scoring only 19 runs from his final 25 balls at a strike rate of 76. He didn’t hit any boundaries against the spread-out field. Kohli and his partner, Rajat Patidar, added 65 runs off 34 balls, with Kohli contributing a run-a-ball 14. Patidar, on the other hand, scored a quick half-century off 19 balls, including hitting four consecutive sixes in the 11th over bowled by Mayank Markande. However, SRH fought back by bowling tightly between overs 12 and 15, not conceding a single boundary. Jaydev Unadkat, playing his 100th IPL game, was the standout bowler for SRH, taking the wickets of Patidar, Kohli, and Mahipal Lomror with his variations.

In the death overs, Cameron Green stood out for RCB with his ability to play the slower deliveries effectively. He managed to score four of his five boundaries against compatriot Pat Cummins, who ended up conceding 55 runs in his four overs. Despite this, SRH captain Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s captaincy was impressive as he utilized his bowlers well. Shahbaz’s three overs, which cost only 14 runs, compensated for Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s limited contribution of just one over.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

A rare top-order collapse for SRH

Will Jacks opened the bowling in the corresponding fixture in Bengaluru but the match-up play didn’t pay any dividends then. However, today was a different story. The final ball of the first over gripped a touch, and it was the length that troubled Travis Head, leading to his dismissal as he miscued a slog to backward point. Despite Jacks’ second over going for 20 runs, Yash Dayal managed to dismiss Abhishek Sharma, who fell for a quick 13-ball 31, putting RCB in a commanding position. Swapnil Singh, despite giving away 19 runs in his first over, made a strong comeback by dismissing the big-hitting Protea pair of Markram and Klaasen. This collapse left SRH struggling at 62/4 after six overs.

Karn Sharma leads RCB’s spin attack

In the middle overs, Karn Sharma emerged as the spin spearhead for RCB. Immediately after the PowerPlay, Karn made significant breakthroughs in his first two overs, reducing SRH to 85/6. His first victim was Nitish Reddy, who was bowled while attempting a reverse sweep. Abdul Samad was the next to depart, deceived by Karn’s length after advancing down the pitch, resulting in a simple return catch. Although Cummins provided a brief resurgence by hitting Swapnil for two consecutive sixes and then striking two boundaries off Karn’s over, he eventually fell to Green. The SRH captain’s innings ended with a miscued slash towards point. Karn concluded his spell with impressive figures of 2 for 29.

A lackluster conclusion

The closing stages of the match felt almost ceremonial, as the outcome had been settled well in RCB’s favor. Green claimed his second wicket by dismissing Bhuvneshwar Kumar, but SRH’s ninth-wicket pair held on to reduce the final margin of defeat to 35 runs.

Brief scores: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 206/7 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 51, Rajat Patidar 50; Jaydev Unadkat 3-30) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 171/8 in 20 overs (Shahbaz Ahmed 40*; Karn Sharma 2-29) by 35 runs

What lies ahead for the teams?

RCB faces a quick turnaround with their Sunday afternoon match against the Gujarat Titans. Meanwhile, SRH will play the late evening fixture on the same day in Chennai against the reigning champions.