Glenn Maxwell’s 57 lifted RCB to 149/8 in their 20 overs on a sluggish track. SRH were well on course, but they choked in the last four overs to give RCB their second win in a row. Shahbaz Ahmed’s three-wicket 17th overturned the game for Virat Kohli and his men.
They say lightning doesn’t strike twice. But at Chepauk, it did. For the second night in a row, the chasing team choked and crumbled to a defeat from a comfortable position. If it was Kolkata Knight Riders in match five, Sunrisers Hyderabad matched six of this IPL 2021.
Chasing 150 on a sluggish track, David Warner and co were well on course in their run-chase before some poor batting, and some excellent bowling saw them crumble to a six-run defeat. The RCB bowlers used the pitch really well to apply the choke as they made it two in two to kickstart their 2021 campaign.
On what looked like a slow surface, David Warner pulled out a surprise as he won the toss and opted field first. The returning Devdutt Padikkal couldn’t force the issue at the top. The left-handed opener hit a couple of boundaries but struggled during his 13-ball stay at the crease. Bhuvneshwar Kumar gave SRH the first breakthrough as Padikkal hit one straight to mid-wicket in the third over.
Shahbaz Ahmed was moved up to No. 3, and the left-handed all-rounder looked good. He struck a six of Shahbaaz Nadeem before Virat Kohli struck a couple of boundaries in the 6th over to provide some impetus towards the end of the powerplay.
Ahmed was out on the very first ball after the powerplay as he holed out at deep square-leg where Rashid Khan took a fine catch, running to his right. Glenn Maxwell walked out at No. 4, and he struggled to rotate strike. Nadeem and SRH strangled Maxwell and cut out his favourite shots as alongside Rashid Khan. They conceded just 16 runs in the four overs post the powerplay.
However, Maxwell cut loose in the 11th over as he struck Nadeem for two sixes and a four before Kohli backed it up with a boundary as well. At 92/1 in 12 overs with two set batsmen, RCB looked set for a total of around 160. But the tide turned. Holder had Kohli (33) top-edging to deep square-leg before Rashid snaffled AB de Villiers for just 1. Washington Sundar and Dan Christian didn’t last long either as RCB crumbled from 92/1 in 12 overs to 110/6 in 17 overs.
Maxwell was still at the other end, and he provided RCB that flourish. Kyle Jamieson struck a couple of lusty blows as well as RCB managed to get to 149/8. In the process, Maxwell, who ended up with 57 notched up his first IPL half-century since 2016. 149 was just about par. With the ball, Mohammed Siraj started superbly. He bowled attacking lines and troubled Wriddhiman Saha in the first couple of overs before he had his man caught at point. However, Jamieson couldn’t sustain the pressure at the other end as Warner two fours and as many sixes in his first two overs.
The fourth over which Jamieson bowled, he conceded 17 runs, and the momentum shifted. Warner got a couple of boundaries off Siraj in the sixth over to help SRH finish the powerplay 50/1. The SRH skipper and Manish Pandey were ticking along nicely. They were getting the odd boundary and were rotating the strike really well. Warner even got to his 49th IPL half-century, and it came off just 31 balls.
SRH were 89/1 at the end of 12 overs, and with nine wickets in the shed, it seemed like a stroll from thereon. However, Jamieson had Warner holing out at long-on in the 13th over, and RCB managed to sneak in a few quiet overs. With 35 to get off the last four overs and Jonny Bairstow and Pandey at the crease, SRH were still ahead. Kohli back Shahbaz Ahmed for the 17th over, and the left-arm spinner turned the match on his head. He picked up three wickets in the over and conceded just one. He dismissed Bairstow, Pandey and Abdul Samad in that over to turn the game in RCB’s favour. Harshal Patel then had Vijay Shankar in the very next over.
27 runs were needed off the last two overs, and Rashid Khan belted a six off the first ball of the penultimate over. However, Siraj came back well to close out the over with minimal damage and also picked up the wicket of Nadeem. With 16 runs to get off the final over, there was more drama.
After knocking around three runs off the first two balls, Patel bowled a waist-high full-toss which Rashid hit for a four. But he held his nerve well and bowled four very good slower ones to close out the game. RCB eventually got home with six runs in the bank, and SRH choked once again.
Brief Scores
Royal Challengers Bangalore 149/8 (Maxwell 39, Kohli 33, Holder 3/30, Rashid 2/18) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 143/9 (Warner 54, Pandey 38, Siraj 2-25, Ahmed 3/7, Siraj 2/25, Patel 2/25) by six runs
