Royal Challengers Bangalore bowlers changed the game giving them a 2 for 2 victories in Chennai.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have started the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 with a bang as after their first victory over Mumbai Indians (MI) in the opener, they went on to defeat Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 6 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
With this victory, RCB go atop the points table. Harshal Patel is given the purple cap for his 7 wickets in two matches.
RCB managed only 149 for eight after being asked to bat first. In reply, SRH were stopped at 143 for nine. The game changed in RCB's favour after Shahbaz Ahmed's over.
Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper David Warner led from the front with a 37-ball 54 and was helped by Manish Pandey who contributed 38. The two added 83 runs for the second wicket, but the left-arm spinner snared three wickets - Jonny Bairstow, Manish Pandey and Abdul Samad - to change the complexion of the game.
SRH was right on track for a win with Warner and Manish Pandey stitching an 83-run stand for the second wicket but the side lost the plot in the middle overs. SRH collapsed from 96/1 to 123/6 within 4.4 overs and was managed 143/9 in their allotted 20 overs.
Shahbaz picked three key wickets and delivered when RCB needed him the most. SRH had a bad start to their chase as opening batsman Wriddhiman Saha was sent back in the hut in the third over by Mohammed Siraj.
But skipper Warner and Manish carried the innings and ensured SRH didn't lose a wicket as the duo took their side to 50/1 at the end of the powerplay. While Manish played a run-a-ball knock, Warner was in his prime best as he took on the RCB bowlers and completed his fifty in just 31 balls.
RCB finally took a sigh of relief when Kyle Jamieson dismissed Warner in the 14th over. Warner's wicket triggered a major collapse as SRH lost five batsmen in 4.4 overs. In the end, Rashid Khan tried to get SRH over the line but was run out in an attempt to take a double.
Earlier put in to bat, RCB had a decent start before Devdutt Padikkal departed in the third over. Shahbaz, who was promoted up the order, had his fair share of chances where he smoked a four but Shahbaz Nadeem got the better of him as RCB lost the second wicket just after the completion of powerplay.
The next few overs saw skipper Virat Kohli and Maxwell scoring at a sluggish rate before the Australian all-rounder whacked two sixes and one four in Nadeem's final over. But SRH again came back in the game with two quick wickets of Kohli and de Villiers. While Holder dismissed Kohli in the 12th over, Rashid sent the former Proteas batsman back in the hut in the next over.
In the death overs, Maxwell kept slogging the ball to complete his gutsy fifty (his first since 2016 in IPL) as RCB went past the 140-run mark.
(Inputs from ANI)
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