Royal Challengers Bengaluru fell short by 42 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad, failing to capitalize on the start given by Virat Kohli and Phil Salt.
Virat Kohli Sets the Tempo Early
With a huge target of 232 in sight, Virat Kohli and Phil Salt started well in the powerplay. Virat Kohli was the aggressor this time, while Salt took his time on his comeback. Kohli looked in sublime touch as he was able to pierce gaps frequently and clear the fence twice during his innings of 43 (25). He made sure to give RCB a fantastic start as they ended their powerplay at 72/0 before he was dismissed by Harsh Dubey in the next over.
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Phil Salt fighting knock
Mayank Agarwal made his return to the RCB team as he walked in at number 3. With a new batter in the middle, Phil Salt accelerated with few sixes of his own, keeping the required run rate under 12 rpo. Meanwhile, Mayank Agarwal, who started his innings with a boundary, failed to capitalize as he was dismissed for 11 (10) by Nitish Kumar Reddy, as RCB lost their second wicket at 120 in 10.4 overs.
Rajat Patidar was next to come in as the impact player and took his time to get into his groove. With the run flow restricted after the wicket of Mayank Agarwal, under pressure, Phil Salt took the risk and was caught by Harshal Patel, bowled by Pat Cummins, who got the key wicket of the in-form Salt for 62 (32) in a knock that included 4 fours and 5 sixes.
Eshaan Malinga Shifts Momentum for SRH
Once Phil Salt was dismissed, RCB lost their momentum in the chase despite a valiant fightback from Jitesh Sharma. Eshaan Malinga was the star for SRH in the bowling department as he swung the momentum back in SRH’s favor by taking two quick wickets, Romario Shepherd and Tim David, in consecutive overs. As RCB lost their finishers for single digits, the rest of the batting line-up stumbled in the high-scoring chase.Â
RCB was dismissed all out for 189/10 with a ball remaining in the innings. SRH pacers, Pat Cummins, Eshaan Malinga, and Harshal Patel bowled accurate yorkers' in the death overs, which ruined RCB’s momentum after they looked well within reach of chasing the massive total.
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SRH defeated RCB by 42 runs and handed them their first defeat of the season outside M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Check out the match summary and scorecard of RCB vs SRH - Match 65.
