Smiles return to RCB camp as they clinch bragging rights against formidable SRH

The smiles were restored in the RCB camp as they secured their second win of the season after a long wait, braving a formidable foe in Sunrisers Hyderabad. Continuing their extraordinary batting sequence, they posted another 200-plus total on the cards before their bowlers took centerstage to get hold of the prized SRH batting order and eventually confine them well-short of the stipulated ask.

Winning the toss, RCB opted to bat first. The duo of Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli were off to a flier, making fine work of the powerplay. Faf smashed 25 off just 12 balls, clobbering three fours and a six while VK gave him good company, leading the charge with a calm demeanor.

Much to RCB’s woes, they lost Faf and Will Jacks (6) in quick succession which once again intensified the frowns on the faces of the visitors. However, the arrival of Rajat Patidar in the middle didn’t just soothe the frayed nerves but it provided the much-needed leapfrog in the scoring rate as the latter was in no mood to relent.

Tagging alongside Virat, Patidar smashed 50 off just 20 balls, rocking two fours and five sixes, four of which came in a solitary over against Mayank Markande. VK continued to anchor the innings as the visitors looked well set for another 200 on the boards.

Despite being in a fine position to pull the trigger towards the end, three quick wickets in the form of Virat Kohli (51), Rajat Patidar (50) and Mahipal Lomror (7), sent RCB’s transcendence into a bit of a spiral. However, all hopes weren’t lost as Cameron Green remained in the center while DK was yet to come.

Dinesh Karthik may not have gotten into the required momentum that he would have wanted but he managed to score 11 quick runs with a couple of fours while the introduction of Impact Player, Swapnil Singh turned into a trump card for the Royal Challengers as he banged 12 runs from just six balls. RCB finished at 206/7 with Green staying unbeaten for 37 from just 20 balls while Swapnil’s last-minute cameo was another knock on the doors of momentum.

In the midway break, Rajat Patidar revealed that the surface wasn’t exactly straightforward. The ball was gripping onto the deck which made 206 looked like a number which would have needed some chasing from the big guns of the Sunrisers.

Much to the shock of the SRH fans Will Jacks delivered a telling blow to the visitors as Travis Head (1) trying to play against the spin, ended up skying one and it was the simplest of catches for Karn Sharma. Abhishek Sharma, however, wasn’t really daunted by the early departure of Head as he continued his assault, rocking 31 runs from just 13 balls before Yash Dayal left the former bamboozled with a length ball that was easily pouched by Karthik.

The surprises for the hosts were just beginning to be unlocked as debutant Swapnil Singh made a major ripple with the big wicket of Aiden Markram (7). He followed that up with another crucial wicket and this time it was of Heinrich Klaasen who went for a big shot only to end up sending the ball miles in the air and Cameron Green made no mistake at mid-on.

With the troubles rising for the Sunrisers, Shahbaz Ahmed and Nitish Kumar Reddy started rebuilding the innings. But it wasn’t long before RCB’s seasoned leggie, Karn Sharma sneaked one through the gates of Reddy and for a leg-spinner that was a dream delivery.

Karn struck again in quick succession as he produced another crucial scalp and that was of Abdul Samad leaving SRH rattled at 85/6. Their captain, Pat Cummins did come in and muddy the waters for RCB with his quickfire 31 but it was Cameron Green who managed to bump his Aussie skipper and Mohammed Siraj pouched an absolute ripper at short-third.

Despite Shahbaz Ahmed’s resilient 40, it wasn’t enough for the Sunrisers to get the job done as RCB confined them to 171/8, securing the match by 35 runs. Rajat Patidar was given the Player of the Match award for his tempestuous half-century that changed the course of the game