CHENNAI: Sunrisers Hyderabad snatched defeat from jaws of victory, losing six wickets in four overs to go down by 6 runs against Royal Challengers Bangalore in their IPL match at Chepauk on Wednesday.
Chasing 150, SRH were 115-2 at the end of 16 overs, but lost their way when left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed picked up three wickets in the 17th over. Things changed quickly towards the end. David Warner top-scored with 54 and it was his dismissal in the 14th over that brought back Bangalore back into the game.
Earlier, Glenn Maxwell hit a 41-ball 59 to lift Royal Challenger Bangalore to 149/8 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in an IPL match here on Wednesday. SRH bowlers, led by West Indian all-rounder Jason Holder (3/30) and Rashid Khan (2/18), put up a superlative show and picked up wickets at regular intervals. For RCB, Maxwell was the top scorer, hitting five fours and three maximums with skipper Virat Kohli (33) the only other batsman providing a valuable contribution.
Put in to bat, RCB were off to a decent start with Kohli and opener Devdutt Padikkal (11) hitting a few boundaries. However, Sunrisers didn’t have to wait long for their first breakthrough as a back of the length delivery in the third over by Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/30) spelled the end of Padikkal, who had returned after recovering from Covid-19.
At the halfway mark, Maxwell raised the tempo as the big-hitting Australian smashed Shahbaz Nadeem (1/36) for two sixes and a four in the first three balls of the 11th over.
Brief scores: RCB 149/8 in 20 ovs (Maxwell 59, Kohli 33, Holder 3/-30) vs SRH 143/9 (Warner 54, Ahmed 3/7).
Today’s Match @ Mumbai: 7.30 PM, SS1
Taking fresh guard
Teams battling setbacks in the last two days go head to head in an intriguing encounter. A look at the match-up between Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals...
Capitals without pace Duo
A Covid-related scare as well as a delay in testing has resulted in both Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada not being available for Thursday’s match. Even if Delhi have a good support system they will want their principal pacemen sooner rather than later.
Livingstone for Stokes?
The Englishman is such a dynamic player his absence will surely be felt. How will RR fill his place? They can opt for Liam Livingstone’s hitting power plus part-time spin, that he can play opener as well as floater is a big plus. The other name is David Miller.
4 Delhi have won each of the last four matches between the two sides.
225 Among current batsmen, Rishabh Pant has got the most runs in this fixture with 225.