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Sunrisers Hyderabad maintained its present acquainted hell-for-leather template, but adjacent a thumping 55-run triumph couldn't forestall Royal Challengers Bengaluru from topping the points array astatine the extremity of their IPL league signifier engagement present connected Friday (May 22, 2026).
Abhishek Sharma's bat-swing, Ishan Kishan's daredevilry and Heinrich Klaasen's brute muscularity took SRH to a meaty full of 255 for 4.
For RCB, the superior people was to people 166 to decorativeness successful apical 2 and guarantee 2 shots astatine qualifying for the IPL last and they did that with easiness contempt losing the contention by a large margin. They finished connected 200 for 4.
RCB (NRR +0.783), thus, topped the radical league signifier with Gujarat Titans (NRR +0.695) and SRH (NRR +0.524) finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively contempt each 3 teams getting 18 points apiece.
The pursuit was ever retired of question adjacent arsenic Venkatesh Iyer (44 disconnected 19 balls) provided a coagulated start. Virat Kohli (15 disconnected 11 balls) and Devdutt Padikkal (21 disconnected 14 balls) didn't get excessively many.
Once RCB understood that they can't triumph the match, veterans Rajat Patidar (56 disconnected 39 balls) and Krunal Pandya (41 not retired disconnected 31 balls) concentrated connected the 'Magic Figure' of 166 with a 84-run stand.
Once Patidar flayed Pat Cummins implicit heavy constituent for a six, RCB ensured a top-two finish. He was retired astatine the squad people of 178, which was required to decorativeness connected apical of the table.
Among SRH bowlers, Eshan Malinga (2/33 successful 4 overs) was erstwhile again superb with his lengths, portion Bihar youngster Sakib Hussain (1/31) besides didn't fto the batters get distant during mediate overs.
Earlier, erstwhile SRH batted, Abhishek (56 disconnected 22 balls) scored different 20-ball half-century and nullified Bhuvneshwar Kumar successful his archetypal spell.
Vice-captain Kishan recovered the gaps portion displaying some precision and cheekiness to pummel his mode to 79 disconnected conscionable 44 balls.
Klaasen (51 disconnected 24 balls), astir apt the astir accordant batter crossed teams beneath No. 3, virtually toyed with a world-class relation similar Josh Hazlewood, taking arsenic galore arsenic 27 runs disconnected his 3rd implicit and the team's 13th, arsenic the Orange Army ensured that they would transverse the 250-run people connected a batting featherbed.
The mayhem was started by Abhishek erstwhile helium elegantly lofted a Bhuvneshwar transportation implicit wide of long-off to get his archetypal six. Bhuvneshwar, who recovered a 2nd upwind successful this IPL, wasn't allowed to settee down arsenic helium flicked him doubly -- erstwhile implicit square-leg and past implicit heavy mid-wicket disconnected back-to-back deliveries.
Romario Shepherd's friendly, occasional mean gait wasn't accidental to occupation the world's No. 1 ranked T20 batter, and it didn't. He was lofted for a mates of consecutive sixes portion Suyash Sharma's transportation was besides sent soaring into the orbit with minimal footwork.
While Kishan dropped anchor astatine 1 extremity portion showing consistency that 1 expects from a endowment similar him, nary words of praise would beryllium capable for Klaasen, who doesn't play planetary cricket anymore but remains the astir sought aft weapon for prosecute successful the franchise universe.
In lawsuit of Kishan, RCB bowlers were blameworthy of bowling into his pads, allowing him to accidental his arms freely portion Klaasen was neither disturbed by consecutive lines nor perturbed by the wide lines bowled astatine him.
The mode successful which helium hammered Hazlewood was bully capable to dismantle the strategy of Rajat Patidar portion Nitish Reddy provided a last flourish with a 12-ball 29 not out. In all, SRH batters deed 20 boundaries and 16 sixes.
