In Hyderabad, a night built on pace, power and precision delivered a memorable result for Sunrisers Hyderabad as they overpowered Royal Challengers Bengaluru to register a major win in IPL 2026. Young SRH fast bowler Sakib Hussain produced the highlight of the match by striking early in the innings and removing Virat Kohli, a wicket he later described as a “dream moment”.
SRH’s breakthrough and Sakib Hussain’s impact
Sakib Hussain, just 21 years old and hailing from Bihar, made his mark against one of the competition’s most consistent batters. After dismissing Virat Kohli, he said the wicket gave him immense satisfaction, adding that it was exactly the kind of dream scenario he had wanted.
The wicket also extended a strong run for the youngster in his debut season at the top level. With another dismissal in the same match, Sakib’s tally moved to 15 wickets across 10 games. He has now taken at least one wicket in every SRH match he has played this season, establishing himself as one of the franchise’s most exciting young performers.
SRH post 255/4 with a ruthless batting display
Sunrisers Hyderabad then turned the game firmly in their favour with another high-octane batting show, compiling 255 runs for the loss of four wickets. Abhishek Sharma set the tempo early, blasting 56 off just 22 balls and going after Bhuvneshwar Kumar from the first phase of the innings.
Ishan Kishan followed with a composed but aggressive effort, striking 79 from 44 deliveries. Heinrich Klaasen added another burst of finishing power, smashing 51 off 24 balls and taking control of one over against Josh Hazlewood.
As the innings approached its finish, Nitish Reddy’s late cameo ensured SRH crossed the 250-run mark. Overall, the innings was defined by big hitting, with the team landing 20 fours and 16 sixes.
RCB struggle in the chase and fall short
Royal Challengers Bengaluru never truly got into a realistic chase once SRH’s total was posted at such a demanding height. Virat Kohli could manage only 15 runs, while Devdutt Padikkal also failed to deliver a meaningful contribution.
Venkatesh Iyer gave RCB some momentum early on, but the required run-rate continued to climb, making the chase increasingly unrealistic. When it became clear that victory was out of reach, Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya shifted their focus to reaching a key milestone—166 runs—aimed at securing a top-two finish.
- Rajat Patidar scored 56 to keep RCB moving late in the chase.
- Krunal Pandya remained unbeaten on 41 as RCB pushed for the necessary total.
- Despite their efforts, Royal Challengers Bengaluru finished at 200/4, falling short by 55 runs.
League standings: SRH third, RCB finish top
Even with the defeat, Royal Challengers Bengaluru secured the top spot in the league standings. Sunrisers Hyderabad ended the campaign in third place, finishing with the same number of points as RCB.
