A dazzling unbeaten 94 from Ishan Kishan, combined with Pat Cummins’s three-wicket haul, powered Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to a big 42-run victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The result had a notable impact on the points table, with RCB slipping to third place and their hopes of securing a top-two finish taking a big blow.
The RCB openers gave their side a solid platform in the run chase, but the middle-order crumbled under scoreboard pressure. Virat Kohli was the aggressor early on, taking the attack to SRH’s new-ball pair, Cummins and Jaydev Unadkat. His intent allowed Phil Salt — playing his first IPL match in nearly a month — to ease into his innings. Kohli was handed a lifeline in the first ball of the third over when Nitish Kumar Reddy misjudged a catch, and the duo made the most of it, racing to 72 runs in the Powerplay.
Shortly after the field restrictions were lifted, Harsh Dubey provided the breakthrough by dismissing Kohli. Salt continued to play freely, reaching his half-century in the 10th over, but had to receive treatment for cramps from the RCB physio. Cummins returned for his second spell and struck immediately, removing Salt. Reddy had earlier sent back Mayank Agarwal, triggering a collapse.
Jitesh Sharma and Rajat Patidar stitched a 44-run stand to briefly revive RCB’s hopes, but the 16th over proved pivotal. Patidar and Romario Shepherd fell in quick succession, and in the next over, Jitesh perished to a mistimed shot. Eshan Malinga then dismissed Tim David to virtually seal the match for SRH. Once again Cummins was the standout bowler for SRH with a three-wicket haul.
It was Ishan’s day with the bat as the left-hander roared back to form. Since scoring a century in the opening game against Rajasthan Royals, he had struggled for runs, but this time, he made it count. Ishan started cautiously, took his time to settle in, and gradually built momentum despite wickets falling around him. He was particularly aggressive and inventive against the pacers, smashing 55 runs off just 26 balls, while he added 39 off 22 against the spinners.
Taking the responsibility to bat deep, Ishan anchored the innings superbly and carried his bat. Around him, SRH’s batting unit offered handy contributions. Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head provided brisk starts with useful cameos in the Powerplay. Heinrich Klaasen and Aniket Verma followed up with quick knocks of 24 and 26 respectively, adding to the scoreboard.
RCB bowlers managed to tighten things up in the middle overs, conceding just 41 runs between overs 13 and 17. However, Ishan, with support from Cummins, finished strongly, adding 43 runs in the final three overs. That late burst ensured SRH posted an above-par total.
