During the 39th match of the 11th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at Hyderabad, Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 5 runs in a low-scoring match.
After Virat Kohli won the toss and put the home team in to bat, Sunrisers Hyderabad scored 146-10 in 20 overs. Their innings was powered by Kane Williamson’s eighth IPL half-century, fifth of this season, which came in a bowler-friendly friendly double-paced wicket. Mohammad Siraj and Tim Southee picked up three wickets apiece, not giving any opportunity for the opposition batsman to score.
In the second innings, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s batsmen were seen struggling against the best bowling line-up of this season. Losing wickets at regular intervals did not help their case as they ended up scoring 141-6 in 20 overs. This is the fourth time that Sunrisers have defended a comparatively low score in this season of the IPL.
Now, we will look at the hits and flops players in this match.
Hits
Kane Williamson (SRH) – It was another of those matches where Kane Williamson bailed-out his team out of danger. Coming in to bat at No. 3 in the third over, Williamson batted in his natural self, scoring an impressive 56 (39) with the help of five fours and two sixes.
Mohammad Siraj (RCB) – Mohammad Siraj was the pick of the bowlers for his tonight. Siraj was introduced into the attack for the first time in the last over of the powerplay. Picking up the wicket of Shikhar Dhawan (13), he made an impression in his first over itself. His last over was his most productive one where he dismissed Yusuf Pathan (12) and Wriddhiman Saha (8). He ended up with bowling figures of 4-0-25-3.
Siddarth Kaul (SRH) – With bowling figures of 4-0-25-1, Siddarth Kaul might not have been the best bowler for his team in terms of the numerals but played an instrumental role in the Sunrisers’ victory. The opposition required 19 runs in the last two overs. It was at this point in time that Kaul gave away mere seven runs against two set batsmen.
Flops
Manish Pandey (SRH) – Manish Pandey came in to bat at No. 4 in the sixth over. On the second delivery of the ninth over, Pandey chipped a Yuzvendra Chahal delivery straight to Virat Kohli at covers. His dismissal will undoubtedly go down as one of the tamest dismissals of this season. He ended up scoring 5 (7).
AB de Villiers (RCB) – It was another of those rare nights when AB de Villiers failed to stand tall on the expectations bestowed upon him. Him getting out in the next over after Virat Kohli got out had put his team in a spot of bother. In a low-scoring chase against a quality attack, on expect someone of his quality to steer his team through. He scored 5 (8).
Mandeep Singh (RCB) – Coming in to bat at No. 6 in the 11th over, Mandeep Singh remained unbeaten till the end but failed to seal the chase for his team. RCB require 67 runs off 56 balls when he came in to bat. His uninspiring innings saw him scoring 21* (23) with the help of a solitary four.
