SRH vs RCB

Mark you dates, RCB vs GT in Qualifier 1 in Dharamsala on May 26. SRH move to New Chandigarh and they now will await their opponents for the Eliminator. 4 teams in contention, 3 of them with a real shot and one of them in PBKS will look to break out of their losing rut tomorrow in Lucknow to keep their chances alive. Make sure you join in for a big game again, for now this is Sourabh Agrawal signing off on behalf of Pradeep and the rest of the team. Cheers!

Ishan Kishan is the Player of the Match for his 79 off 46 balls, this is what he said: Just happy about it, taking it one game at a time. (his stellar record against RCB) I don't know to be very honest, I do feel confident playing against them and in the end fortune favors the brave. More than maturity, it is about shot selection. Which shot to play at what time. From Day 1 when I was leading the side, we had that in mind to finish in top-2 as that gives you an extra chance but with Pat coming in, he is one of the best bowlers and I could not have asked for me. Credit goes to everyone, specially to the support staff for keeping us in the zone, got to bowl your best ball and play your best shot because pressure will always be there but if you enjoy yourself you get in a zone and keep it simple. Credit to the support staff and Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins (SRH captain): Pretty impressive to get the score that we did. The boys batted really well and the bowlers hit their straps as well. Pretty good batting wicket, it did get a bit close but threw a few things at them. Still a big win. They (their bowling attack) have been outstanding, I have learnt from them. Eshan and even Sakib, a captain's dream. (thoughts on going to New Chandigarh for the Eliminator) It is 5-6 days for that. We will know who we are playing in 1-2 days, the boys know the conditions

Sakib Hussain [Sunrisers Hyderabad]: [On his bowling plans and execution]“The plan was pretty clear from the start. Varun bhai told me to assess the wicket carefully and bowl according to the conditions. We noticed the ball was gripping a bit on the surface, so the idea was to use my slower deliveries and variations as much as possible.”[On why the slower balls worked on the surface]“The wicket was helping bowlers who took pace off the ball. Varun bhai kept reminding me that the surface was holding slightly, so using slower balls and relying on spin and variations would be effective. Thankfully, the plan worked well for us tonight.”[On dismissing Virat Kohli]“It definitely felt special. Virat Kohli’s wicket is a dream wicket for any bowler, so naturally it was a big moment for me.”[On bowling alongside Jasprit Bumrah]“The message for all the bowlers was the same — take pace off the ball and use the conditions smartly. Everyone stuck to the plan really well, and that helped us maintain pressure throughout.”[On his impressive season so far]“I’m just focused on improving continuously. The main thing for me is to keep learning, get better with every game, and continue working on my execution so batters find it harder to pick my variations.”[On the team’s playoff ambitions]“The team spirit is very positive right now. We know the playoffs are a massive opportunity for us, and we’ll continue giving our 100 percent and try our best to go all the way and win the title.”

Rajat Patidar [Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain]: [On SRH posting a daunting total]“Hyderabad’s top-order batters played exceptionally well and completely dominated the first innings. Once they crossed the 220-mark, it was always going to be a very challenging chase for us.”[On the nature of the pitch during the chase]“I don’t think the pitch changed too much while we batted, but the slower bouncers were definitely gripping a bit. Their bowlers executed the slower deliveries and yorkers really well, and I think that was the biggest difference in the game.”[On RCB finishing at the top of the table]“Our primary goal was to finish at the top of the table, and thankfully we’ve managed to do that. But credit has to go to Hyderabad as well because 225 was a strong total on this surface. The way their bowlers used the conditions, especially with the slower balls into the pitch, made scoring much tougher than it looked initially.”[On SRH’s bowling execution]“Hyderabad is generally a very good batting wicket, but when bowlers consistently execute slower bouncers and variations into the surface, it becomes difficult for batters to keep scoring freely. Their bowling attack handled those conditions really well tonight.”

11:30 PM local time and IST: MATCH SUMMARY

Sunrisers Hyderabad (255/4 in 20 overs) beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru (200/4 in 20 overs) by 55 runs

Ishan Kishan 79(46) | Eshan Malinga 2/33(4)
Rajat Patidar 56(39) | Suyash Sharma 1/36(3)

In the end, both teams walk off happy with the result which was never in question once RCB decided to buckle down with an aim to get past 166, they did it pretty comfortalbly in the end and at the same time it is a comfortable win for SRH over table-toppers RCB in their last league game

Anti-climatic in the end but RCB have beared the fruits of getting big wins previously and they could just cruise through to ensure a safety net for themselves in the playoffs. SRH did make a good fist of it, they get the 2 points with ease but won't make it to the top-2, three teams finish on 18 points and it the the NRR which sees SRH finish on number 3 and sends them into the Eliminator on May 27 and now they await their opponents in New Chandigarh

Chasing 256, RCB got off to a flier courtesy their brand new opener Veknatesh Iyer who scored a blistering 19-ball 44 but apart from that there was no one who could match the rate that was required. SRH were clearly the better side with the ball, the likes of Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Harshal and Cummins too used their pace-off deliveries into the surface beuatifully and it was tough for the batters to get them away

RCB were 75/2 at the end of the powerplay, Padikkal was dismissed with the score at 94 in the 9th over and that is when Patidar and Krunal decided to shut shop and ensure they get past 166. It wasn't an easy job against SRH who read the conditions perfectly and get the two points in the end to make it 1-1 for the season between both these teams

19.6 Sakib Hussain to Krunal Pandya, THAT'S THAT! It's going to be RCB vs GT in the Qualifier 1 on May 26! Back of a length on the middle and leg, Krunal tucked it behind square for one as SRH win the game handsomely by 55 runs!

19.4 Sakib Hussain to Tim David, FOUR MORE! Outstanding shot now from David. Short outside the off-stump, stays back and spanks it over extra-cover for another boundary.

19.3 Sakib Hussain to Tim David, SIX! David's having some fun now. Pace off, short on the off-stump, David stood tall and powered it all the way over long-on for a maximum.

19.1 Sakib Hussain to Tim David, pace off, drifts it on to the pads. David tickled it straight to Shivang at short fine-leg, let's it through and they get back for the brace.