SRH 186/5 (20) vs RCB 187/2 (19.2) Highlights - Royal Challengers Bangalore beats Sunrisers Hyderabad by 8 wickets

A brilliant 172-run stand off 108 balls has kept Bangalore in the hunt for a berth in the Playoffs as Virat Kohli’s century triumphs Klassen’s 104 as Bangalore dishes out a spectacular run chase to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets.

Natarajan gets du Plessis as the skipper falls for a brilliant 47-ball 71 and what a knock this has been from the skipper. This game isn’t yet finished as we get to the final over of the innings and Bangalore needs three runs in the final over.

King Kohli hits a magnificent century in 62 balls and the dug-out along with the crowd salutes the star batsman and what a spectacular knock this has been. A six to get to the landmark, but Bhuvi gets his man as Glenn Phillips takes the catch at deep. The crowd is loving it as Kohli swings his arms dedicating the knock to his fans en route to the dugout. Top innings. A 63-ball 100 studded with 12 boundaries and four sixes.

Kohli enters the 90s with a wonderful pull over the mid-wicket as Natarajan paid the price for bowling short. This is top-class batting and Kohli has switched gears swiftly. Bangalore needs 25 runs in 18 balls.

Dagar is back into the attack but Bangalore is cruising at this stage and needs 33 runs in 24 balls. Both Kohli and du Plessis are well-set and are going great at this moment.

Wow! This is a special knock from Virat Kohli and a section of Bangalore fans are relishing the top knock from Kohli. The punch through the covers and a one-handed boundary has put Bangalore firmly in the driver’s seat. The 150 is up for Bangalore and it needs just 37 runs in 30 balls.

Markram employs spin and Kohli takes a single with Du Plessis nailing one over the covers for a boundary and this is Bangalore’s game. The Sunrisers bowlers have failed to make inroads and the intent from Kohli and du Plessis has been brilliant as the skipper nails the spinner for a huge maximum.

Kohli has come out with a clear intention of keeping his team alive in contention for Playoffs as he drills Dagar by bringing out a terrific slog sweep as the ball sailed over the deep mid-wicket for a maximum. Beautiful batting and this is a brilliant run chase, executed perfectly by the modern master.

Faf du Plessis leads from the front and hammers yet another half-century and brings up a century partnership with Kohli. The RCB skipper leads from the front and scores his third consecutive fifty. Kohli brings up his half-century, his 51st in IPL with a solid pull over the deep square leg for a boundary. The match is slowly slipping away from Hyderabad’s grip.

Abhishek into the attack and both Kohli and du Plessis are approaching their respective half-centuries. Excellent over from the spinner as he gives just three singles from his second over.

Dagar into the attack and Hyderabad needs to break this opening stand to come back into the game. In the halfway stage Bangalore needs 92 runs in 60 balls and it should be a relatively easy chase.

Kohli at his best as he deposits Nitish Reddy for a huge maximum over the deep but Mayank Dagar took an exceptional catch as Sunrisers thought they had Faf du Plessis back in the hut but it was ruled as a No-Ball. What a shame! Dagar put a full stretch dive and grabbed an excellent catch but unfortunately, it was a No-Ball!

Spin into the attack and it’s Mayank Dagar who comes with an attempt to break the opening stand. There is a hint of turn and grip but du Plessis makes room and cuts a back-of-length delivery over the backward point for a boundary.

Kohli gets his wrists into play as he works Nitish Reddy to the deep backward square leg boundary. Eight runs from Nitish’s over and Sunrisers need a breakthrough.

RCB as bossed the PowerPlay and the run chase is right on track with Kohli and du Plessis going all guns blazing. The required rate is just around 8 rpo but the current run-rate is around 12. Bangalore is up and running in the run chase.

Du Plessis is in some touch as the RCB skipper dismantles Bhuvneshwar Kumar for a six and then a boundary to bring the 50-up for his side. Bangalore is in a hurry to finish the run chase and this has been a fabulous partnership.

Kartik Tyagi into the attack and Faf du Plessis welcomes the bowler with a boundary over point. The bowler creates an opportunity as du Plessis got a top edge and Glenn Phillips drops the RCB skipper at deep mid-wicket. Du Plessis continued to ride on his luck as he smacked the bowler for yet another boundary. Kohli then exhibited his brilliance with his signature cover drive to put the youngster under pressure.

So far everything is going in Kohli’s way as an inside edge runs away to the fine-leg region for a boundary. Natarajan into the attack and bowls a decent over as Kohli and du Plessis get going in the run chase.

The crowd is firmly behind Kohli as he makes room and deposits Abhishek Sharma for a boundary straight down the ground and then muscles the spinner for another boundary as the chants of Kohli, Kohli ring through the air. The crowd has come to watch Kohli and the King is off to a great start.

Kohli is off to a spectacular start as the former RCB skipper gets off the mark with two boundaries - the first one driving Bhuvi on the up through the covers and then cashing in on the room outside the off and nailing the bowler over the point. Bhuvi comes back stronger by bowling four dot balls. The challenge is on and Kohli has come out with a positive intent.

Right then Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis walk out for the chase and it will be Bhuvneshwar Kumar who will begin the home side’s defence with the new ball.

A 51-ball 104 by Heinrich Klaasen has given Sunrisers Hyderabad a chance to derail Royal Challengers Bangalore’s campaign as the home side posts a challenging total of 186/5 in 20 overs. Bangalore however has the firepower to gun down the total with a strong batting line-up and the crowd chanting Kohli, Kohli... Will be back for the chase in a bit.

This is superlative batting from Klassen and he gets to his century with a brilliant six by smoking Harshal Patel straight down the ground, into the stands and this has been an outstanding innings with the batsman batting in heat and humidity. Harshal, however, has the last laugh as he knocked down the centurion as Klaasen departs for a brilliant 104 off 51 deliveries.

Klaasen is four runs shy of a well-deserved century and the partnership is worth 63 off 31 balls. Brook playing his part but Sunrisers need more boundaries.

This is top batting from Klaasen as he hammers Shahbaz for two huge sixes, straight down the ground and the fifty-run partnership is up in just 22 balls. This has been excellent batting from Klaasen who has shouldered the responsibility of the Sunrisers’ batting and he is inching towards a well-deserved century.

Top batting from Klaasen as he picks the slower one from Harshal and deposits it to the fine-leg region for a boundary. A century is here for the taking but Bangalore will be looking to pull back things. Brook has started well but this innings has been built by Klaasen.

Brook gets into the act as he hammers Karn Sharma for a boundary and then a brilliant six over long-off. Klaasen then joins the party by smoking the spinner over the extra cover region for a maximum as 21 runs comes from Karn’s third over. Afraid he is going to finish his quota of overs as the leggie has already leaked 45 runs from his three overs.

Siraj is back into the attack as Bangalore aims to stem the flow of boundaries with Brook and Klaasen - both good strikers of the ball. The pacer brings in all his experience and bowls a good over but Klaasen hammers the last ball for a boundary as a diving Kohli failed to stop at the deep mid-wicket. It was an incredible shot!

Shahbaz Ahmed back into the attack and breaks the 76-run stand to end Markram’s struggle at the crease as the skipper tried a reverse sweep which went horribly wrong as he misses the ball only to see his off-stump knocked down. It was a shot out of desperation as Harry Brook joins Klassen.

Parnell back into the attack and it’s time Markram fetches some boundaries as it’s been Klaasen who has scored the majority of the runs and as Ian Bishop says, “the majority of the heavy lifting is being done by Klaasen.” The 100 is up for Sunrisers and this has been a good partnership so far.

Klaasen is in some mood as he drills Karn Sharma for a six over the long-off region and then gets to his half-century in 24 balls. He has been the lone fighter with the bat for Sunrisers. Excellent knock and this should lift the dug-out that is striving to end the losing streak.

The fifty-run partnership is up and it has come in 29 balls with Klaasen being the accelerator in an innings that is stitched with six boundaries and a maximum at a strike-rate of 200.5. The skipper has dropped anchor, allowing his partner to take on the attack.

Karn Sharma into the attack and Klaasen welcomes the spinner by smoking him for a maximum over the deep mid-wicket for a maximum and Sunrisers have recovered after the early loss of two wickets. Time for a break.

Klassen is going great guns as he drills Harshal Patel through the mid-on for a brilliant boundary and the partnership is worth 37 off 21 balls and in the last five overs, SRH has scored 55 runs for the loss of two wickets, thanks to Klassen’s strokeplay.

A slow start and then Bracewell picking two wickets in an over has dented Sunrisers’ progress. But Klassen has provided a ray of hope by teeing off on arrival with skipper Markram at the other end. Hyderabad needs a partnership and this will be a crucial one. There is no stopping Klassen as he hammers Bracewell for a boundary to the deep square leg and the 50 is up for Sunrisers.

Shahbaz Ahmed into the attack and Klassen attacks the left-arm spinner with a brilliant punch through the covers and the batsman is continuing from where he left from the last game. Intelligent batting as Klassen rocks on his backfoot and uses the depth of the crease to nail the spinner for two consecutive boundaries. Bangalore clearly won the PowerPlay with two wickets.

A wicket inside the PowerPlay and Michael Bracewell strikes on arrival by dismissing Abhishek Sharma, who cuts a back-of-length delivery straight to Lomror at point. Another soft dismissal as the spinner removes Rahul Tripathi as a sweep shot goes horribly wrong and both the Sunrisers openers are back in the hut. The batting continues to be disappointing. Henrich Klassen opens his account with a boundary as the in-form batsman joins his skipper.

Tripathi gets going with a boundary through the point and then a brilliant six over the mid-wicket to get Hyderabad going. Runs continue to flow on an outfield that is quick as this time Abhishek goes over the deep mid-wicket to hammer Parnell for 16 runs in the over. Sunrisers on the move after a cautious start.

RCB burnt a review very early in the innings as Faf du Plessis went for a caught behind on the insistence from Siraj and the bowler was very confident that there was an outside edge but the ultra edge confirmed there was absolutely nothing as Abhsihek survives. The left-hander then went up and over to nail Siraj for a boundary over the covers. Bangalore missed a run-out opportunity and Tripathi was gone had the ball hit the stumps at the non-striker’s end.

Wayne Parnell partners Siraj with the new ball and Tripathi is really struggling to put bat to ball as a pre-meditated scoop nearly missed the stumps. Parnell went wide and finally, the batsman is off the mark with a boundary through the covers.

Top start from Siraj and the bowler has pitched the new ball in the right areas, not providing any width to the batsmen. Abhishek is off the mark with a single but Tripathi is yet to get off the blocks having faced four deliveries.

Right then we are all set for the final game at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium and this should be a cracker of a contest with the visiting side receiving a bit more support than the home side. All in readiness as Abhishek Sharma and Rahul Tripathi will open the innings. With the ball, it will be Mohammed Siraj who will be steaming in at his home ground. Here we go!

Dinesh Karthik, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Himanshu Sharma, Suyash Prabhudessai, Kedar Jadhav

Mayank Markande, T Natarajan, Vivrant Sharma, Sanvir Singh, Akeal Hosein

Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram(c), Heinrich Klaasen(w), Harry Brook, Glenn Phillips, Abdul Samad, Kartik Tyagi, Mayank Dagar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nitish Reddy

Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis(c), Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Anuj Rawat(w), Shahbaz Ahmed, Michael Bracewell, Wayne Parnell, Harshal Patel, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj

Royal Challengers Bangalore wins toss, opts to bowl first vs Sunrisers Hyderabad

“Square boundaries are mid-60s on either side (meters). Curator says this is his favourite wicket of the block and I can see why. It’s absolutely even and there’s not a blade of grass out of place. It’s a little bit on the drier side though. There has been quite a bit of water put into it but with the weather overhead in the last couple of days being so hot, it’s just a bit dry. As you can see there’s a bit of surface cracking but I wouldn’t be too worried about that. Important for openers to cash in against the new ball.”

The all-important toss is coming up in around 20 minutes and the home skipper will hope the coin lands in his favour.

Anuj Rawat, V. Vyshak, Siddarth Kaul, Manoj Bhandage, Shahbaz Ahmed

Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Mahipal Lomror, Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, V. Vyshak, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Wayne Parnell.

Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Mahipal Lomror, Anuj Rawat, Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Wayne Parnell.

Games - 10

Wins - 2

Losses - 8

Last five games - Wins - 1 | Losses -4

Games - 50

Wins - 31

Losses - 29

Last five games - Wins - 1 | Losses -4

Matches played: 22

SRH won: 12

RCB won: 9

No Result: 1

Last result: Royal Challengers Bangalore won by 67 runs (2022)

Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis(c), Anuj Rawat, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik(w), Michael Bracewell, Wayne Parnell, Karn Sharma, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Shahbaz Ahmed, Siddarth Kaul, Kedar Jadhav, Josh Hazlewood, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Wanindu Hasaranga, Finn Allen, Sonu Yadav, Suyash Prabhudessai, Manoj Bhandage, Akash Deep, Rajan Kumar, Avinash Singh, Himanshu Sharma

Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram(c), Heinrich Klaasen(w), Abdul Samad, Sanvir Singh, Mayank Markande, Marco Jansen, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, T Natarajan, Anmolpreet Singh, Adil Rashid, Mayank Agarwal, Akeal Hosein, Glenn Phillips, Samarth Vyas, Mayank Dagar, Upendra Yadav, Harry Brook, Kartik Tyagi, Nitish Reddy, Umran Malik, Vivrant Sharma