SRH vs RCB IPL 2024: Royal Challengers Bangalore hold off Sunrisers Hyderabad to keep playoff hopes alive

Royal Challengers Bangalore ended Sunrisers Hyderabad’s winning streak in the 41st match with a crushing 35-run victory. The flamboyant lights Bengaluru spinners produced an early performance to end RCB’s six-game losing streak after their 206-run title defense at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in 2024.

Despite heavy losses, Pat Cummins’ Sunrisers Hyderabad are third in the table with five wins. Bengaluru are in contention for the playoffs with two wins from nine games.

After winning the dice roll, Fif du Plessis opted to bat first with the same XI that lost to KKR by 1 run in the previous match. Virat Kohli scored a brilliant fifty off Rajat Patida and Cameron Green made a quick cameo to post a challenging total of 206/7 in 20 overs.

Debutant spin all-rounder Swapnil Singh and veteran Karn Sharma produced a match-winning spell to keep RCB in check in the early stages, before Cameron Green added 12 wickets to restrict Sunrisers Hyderabad to 171/8.

RCB have won just one of their first eight games and need two points to keep their playoff hopes alive. They put in an impressive all-round performance against three teams with a combined score of over 250 points.

Patidar continued his strong form with his third fifty in the last four matches. He reached his 50 off just 19 balls, but Kohli, despite being aggressive from the start, struggled with the big shots. Kohli topped the list with a 43-ball 51, the fifth time he has scored more than 50.

The home team scored a record 287 in the first over against RCB but lost the in-form Travis Head to Will Jacks in the first over. Opener Abhishek Sharma gave Sunrisers a 31-run lead just 13 balls into the match but failed to convert it into a big win.

Swapnil Singh made his debut for RCB but was dismissed by Aiden Markram and the in-form Henrik Klaassen in the powerplay, allowing RCB to come out on top and register a big win. Hyderabad never threatened a comeback but former RCB all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed avoided losing all their wickets with a 37-ball 40.

Sunrisers Hyderabad Match Line Up: Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, Henrik Klaassen (wicketkeeper), Nitish Reddy, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed Germany, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jeff Unadkatmayank Markonde, T Natarajan (replaced by Travis Head).

Royal Challengers Bangalore Match Line Up: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (captain), Rajat Patidar (in place of Swapnil Singh), Cameron Greene, Will Jacks, Dinesh Karthik (Wk), Mahipal Lomar, Karn Sharma, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammad Siraj, Yash Dayal.