CHENNAI: Heinrich Klaasen lets out a roar at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad on Thursday night that probably could have echoed back in his home ground — SuperSport Park, Centurion. He had just scored his maiden Indian Premier League century. It was a moment he had waited for way too long. His ton helped SRH score 186/5 in 20 overs.
However, it was not enough as Virat Kohli smashed a century to help Bangalore chase down the target with four balls to spare. With the win, RCB moved to fourth place with seven wins in 13 games.
Chasing a steep score in a must-win game, Kohli and Faf du Plessis took the attack to the SRH bowlers from ball one. They made the most of the powerplay, smashing 64 runs in the first six overs. Kohli, who generally takes time to settle in before launching his attack, was at his proactive best, not wasting any time to get his eye in.
He was playing shots from the word go, securing the crucial boundaries at ease. Not a single bowler was spared as the former India captain put on a batting masterclass in Hyderabad. He had ample support at the other end, with Du Plessis, too, negating the match-ups and hitting boundaries at will.
Kohli took 35 balls to reach his fifty, but from thereon, there was no looking back as he unleashed a beast. It was a peak version of Kohli — the cover drives, the flicks, the pull, he showed it all. Kohli brought up his hundred in 62 balls, before getting out off the very next delivery. Du Plessis got out shortly after for 71 runs from 47 balls, but the opening pair had done enough, adding 172 runs for the first wicket. The rest was just a formality as RCB chased down the total in the final over.
Earlier, coming into bat in the fifth over with SRH reeling at 28/2, Klaasen hit the first ball he faced to the ropes, cutting Michael Bracewell, who had taken two wickets in the same over. In the next over, he cut, pulled and swept Shahbaz Ahmed to the ropes.
When Karn Sharma dropped it short, Klaasen rocked back to pull him over the ropes, and when the ball was full, he stood tall and launched him downtown. He kept the carnage going, not letting the RCB spinners settle down. The South African scored 104 runs from 51 balls, taking SRH to 186/5. Klaasen had waited a long to get a consistent run in the IPL, and this season, he has shown everyone why he should have got it sooner.
Brief scores
SRH 186/5 in 20 ovs (Klaasen 104, Brook 27; Bracewell 2/13; Siraj 1/17) lost to RCB 187/2 in 19.2 ovs(Kohli 100, Du Plessis 71).