MATCH REPORT
Follow UsApril 13 - Kolkata Knight Riders messed up a simple chase.
April 14 - Sunrisers Hyderabad... Well, they did something similar.
What Rahul Chahar and Krunal Pandya did for Mumbai Indians on Tuesday, Shahbaz Ahmed and Harshal Patel did the same for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Hyderabad at the Chepauk on Wednesday. David Warner and Co. lost seven wickets for just 27 runs and bottled a regular run chase, allowing Bangalore to win by six runs in Match 6 of the Indian Premier League 2021. Now, this is only the second time Bangalore have won their first two games of the season - the first being in 2014.
Asked to bat, Glenn Maxwell (41-ball 59) smashed his first IPL fifty since 2016 to propel Bangalore to a competitive total of 149/8 in their 20 overs, on a surface that was slow and dry. The chase was never going to be easy but Warner (37-ball 54) got SRH off to an outstanding start but couldn't carry on. Manish Pandey (39-ball 38) once again wasted way too many deliveries, like he did against Kolkata Knight Riders in the first encounter.
It was majorly because of him SRH needed 35 off their last four overs, but that's when Shahbaz Ahmed delivered a match-winning over. The left-arm spinner dismissed Pandey, Jonny Bairstow and Abdul Samad in the space of six deliveries before Harshal finished the job for Bangalore. The last time Bangalore defended a total less than 150 was in 2009. Hyderabad have now lost both their games, while Bangalore are currently sitting at the top of the points table.
MAXWELL COMES TO RCB'S RESCUE
"Intent" is one of Virat Kohli's favourite words. The RCB skipper often talks about intent these days and he showed exactly that against Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the very first over. The stylish right-hander got the second delivery in his arc and smashed it for a boundary to announce his arrival. Meanwhile, Devdutt Padikkal (11), playing his first game of the season, looked in a bit of a hurry and ended up throwing his wicket away. The left-hander fell to Bhuvneshwar in the third over, while Shahbaz Ahmed (10-ball 14) too failed to make an impression with the bat at No. 3.
Kohli (29-ball 33) slowed down after the first six overs as he found it difficult to score against Shahbaz Nadeem and Rashid Khan (2/18). The two spinners bowled in tandem and didn't allow Kohli and Maxwell to score freely. Having conceded just 14 runs in his first three overs, Nadeem was smashed all around the park in his final over. It was Maxwell who slammed him for 6, 4 and 6 in the first three deliveries before Kohli tonked him down the ground for yet another boundary. The left-arm spinner was whacked for 22 runs in his final over.
Just when RCB were starting to get a move on, Jason Holder (3/30) got rid of Kohli in the 13th over. AB de Villiers (1), Washinton Sundar (8) and Daniel Christian (1) couldn't contribute much, with Rashid getting rid of the former two. The onus was now on Maxwell and the Australian superstar didn't disappoint. He was acquired for a specific role and Maxwell played that role to perfection. He struggled at the start of the innings but turned things around in the final three overs.
Kyle Jamieson (9-ball 12) too chipped in but Maxwell got Bangalore closer to the 150-run mark. He slammed Natarajan for two boundaries in the penultimate over before smacking Holder for a maximum in the final over. He was dismissed off the final ball but RCB managed 39 runs in the final three overs.
THE DAVID WARNER SHOW
Before Warner took the command, Mohammed Siraj had Wriddhiman Saha dancing in the first over, not allowing him to score a single run. He kept hitting the length and generated good movement, not allowing Saha to settle. The right-arm paceman eventually got rid of Saha who could only score one run off nine deliveries. But, that's when Warner took the attack to RCB and put his team in a commanding position.
The left-handed opener didn't have a great start to the tournament but looked in pretty solid touch tonight. He got the ball rolling by hammering Kyle Jamieson for a boundary in his first over and then along with Pandey smashed the New Zealand paceman for 17 runs in his second over. SRH raced to 50 at the end of six overs and things weren't looking great for Bangalore. The middle overs were going to be crucial for both teams. Washington Sundar and Yuzvendra Chahal managed to get good amount of turn but Warner and Pandey batted smartly for a brief duration of play.
SHABASH SHAHBAZ, AND HARSHAL
The game was running away from RCB and that's when Harshal was introduced into the attack. The right-arm seamer, who claimed five wickets against Mumbai, bowled with good control and was once again brilliant with his change-ups. Bangalore though needed wickets and Jamieson got the key scalp of Warner after the opener completed his fifty. Jonny Bairstow and Pandey struggled big time as SRH could only manage 28 runs in the space of five overs. The required run-rate went up to nine per over and that's when Shahbaz Ahmed almost killed the game in the 17th over.
The left-armer from Bengal outfoxed Bairstow and Pandey in back-to-back deliveries and then even dismissed Samad for a duck in the same over. Vijay Shankar and Holder couldn't contribute but Rashid announced his arrival with a maximum over deep backward point. Harshal bowled a superb 18th over, but for some reason, Kohli gave Siraj the 19th over. He was hit for a six but the paceman came back strongly, bowling good change-up deliveries. SRH needed 16 off the final 6 balls but Harshal bowled an outstanding over, except for a no-ball, to help Bangalore emerge victorious.
