SRH’s batting carnage sinks RCB in high-scoring IPL clash

Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 55 runs in a high-scoring Indian Premier League clash on Friday, but the victory was not enough to lift them above third place in the points table.

After posting a massive 255/4 riding on explosive knocks from Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen, SRH restricted RCB to 200/4 in 20 overs.

RCB skipper Rajat Patidar fought hard with a 39-ball 56, while Krunal Pandya remained unbeaten on 41. Venkatesh Iyer had earlier provided Bengaluru with a fiery start, smashing 44 off just 19 deliveries.

However, star batter Virat Kohli endured a rare failure, managing only 15 runs off 11 balls.

After the early blows, Patidar and Krunal attempted to rebuild the innings, but the required rate kept climbing beyond reach against SRH’s relentless batting assault. Eshan Malinga impressed with the ball, returning figures of 2/33 in his four overs.

Earlier, SRH once again unleashed their ultra-aggressive batting template at home, with Abhishek, Kishan and Klaasen tearing apart the RCB attack on a batting-friendly surface.

Abhishek hammered 56 off just 22 balls, bringing up another rapid half-century while taking on veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the powerplay.

Kishan then anchored the innings with a sparkling 79 off 44 deliveries, mixing elegant strokeplay with audacious improvisation to keep the scoreboard racing.

Klaasen added the finishing touch with a brutal 51 off 24 balls, dismantling even a world-class bowler like Josh Hazlewood. The South African wicketkeeper-batter plundered 27 runs in Hazlewood’s third over as SRH comfortably crossed the 250-run mark.

Despite the emphatic win, SRH remained third in the standings with 18 points, level with RCB but behind on net run rate. RCB will now face Gujarat Titans in the first qualifier, while SRH will have to wait for Rajasthan’s final league game to learn their playoff opponents.

Brief scores: SRH 255/4 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 56, Ishan Kishan 79, Heinrich Klaasen 51; Rasikh Salam Dar 2/52) beat RCB 200/4 in 20 overs (Venkatesh Iyer 44, Rajat Patidar 56, Krunal Pandya 41 not out; Eshan Malinga 2/33) by 55 runs.