Kohli, Patidar fifties helped RCB to 206 before SRH’s much-vaunted batting line-up failed to fire.
An all-out attacking approach can be a double-edged sword. When it comes off, as it has for Sunrisers Hyderabad this season, the team can look unmatchable.
Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar celebrate their partnership during the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (RCB-X)
However, on Thursday at their home ground, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, against Royal Challengers Bangalore, they experienced the perils of playing the high-risk game.
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Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markaram and Heinrich Klaasen, batters who have put the fear of gods among the bowlers with their belligerent play, all perished early playing rash strokes in their bid to chase down RCB’s total of 206 in their trademark style. At the end of the fifth over, the run machines had been humbled as the SRH innings lay in tatters at 56/4.
They never recovered from the poor start and finished on 171/8. The 35-run win was only RCB’s second this season but the bigger relief would have been the end of their six-game losing streak. In eight games, SRH have now won five and lost three.
Opting to bat first, RCB did well to post 200 plus on the board, but given how SRH have batted this season, many weren’t sure it would be enough. However, once they managed to get rid of dangerman Head in the first over, RCB’s chances immediately brightened up.
The move to start with the off-spin of Will Jacks proved to be a masterstroke. Having got just three runs off the first five deliveries, Head went for the big shot on the last ball. He couldn’t keep his shape though as the ball spun away and took the top edge to be caught by Karn Sharma at short third-man.
Abhishek duly took down Jack in his second over for 20 runs but left-arm pacer Yash Dayal had the dangerman slicing an intended pull for a high catch to wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik and they were two down for 37.
It was captain Faf du Plessis’ dream day as every move of his worked like a charm. Giving the fifth over to debutant Swapnil Singh was rewarded with a double breakthrough. Markram missed a full toss to be trapped leg before wicket and Klaasen too played into the bowler’s hand, ballooning a catch to Cameron Green at mid-on.
On the batting front, the platform for RCB was built by another half-century for Virat Kohli (51 off 43 balls). Rajat Patidar’s 20-ball fifty and Cameron Green’s 20-ball unbeaten 37 ensured they managed to cross 200.
During his innings, Kohli, the top run-getter in the tournament, crossed the 400-run tally in just his ninth game. He thus became the first batter to score 400-plus runs in 10 or more IPL seasons.
When RCB’s opening pair of Kohli and captain Faf du Plessis provided a start of 43 in three overs, they looked set for a much bigger total than 206 they got. But SRH’s wily pacer Jaydev Unadkat applied the brakes in the middle overs, from 13th to 17th to celebrate his 100th IPL game with a three-for to remember, picking up the big wickets of Kohli and Patidar.
