Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru finished top of the points table and earned a Qualifier 1 against Gujarat Titans after their chase attempt fell short in a high-scoring encounter with Sunrisers Hyderabad. SRH had a pathway to the top two even in defeat, but they still posted 255/4 in Hyderabad. Bengaluru, needing to hold SRH to 166 or under, could not quite rein in a powerful batting display and were restricted to 200/4, ending the chase 55 runs short.
Key takeaways
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru topped the standings and qualified for Qualifier 1 versus Gujarat Titans.
- Sunrisers Hyderabad compiled 255/4, led by Ishan Kishan’s 79 and Abhishek Sharma’s 56.
- Bengaluru’s chase ended at 200/4, meaning SRH fell short of needing to defend 166-plus only.
- RCB passed the 166-mark in the 17th over, securing the top-two spot, but could not reach SRH’s total.
- Tim David and Krunal Pandya drove the innings to exactly 200, setting up SRH’s 55-run win.
Sunrisers make the most of a flat deck
After winning the toss and choosing to bat, Sunrisers Hyderabad built momentum quickly on a surface that rewarded strokeplay. Pat Cummins laid the foundation with intent behind the baton, and the opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head struck early boundaries. Against Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood—two of the season’s more dependable bowlers—SRH continued to find gaps at a steady rhythm.
Rasikh Salam removed Head with a precise yorker that clipped the off-stump, and he also came close to striking again when Abhishek was nearly undone by a back-of-the-hand slower delivery. Venkatesh Iyer, however, dropped a chance at deep square leg, allowing Abhishek to keep attacking. Abhishek struck a six off Bhuvneshwar in the opening over, the only maximum in the Powerplay, and then escalated further in the seventh and eighth overs. He launched two sixes off each of Suyash Sharma and Romario Shepherd, reaching a half-century in just 20 balls.
Despite those breakthroughs, RCB’s fielding efforts produced a couple of near-misses. Two of Abhishek’s sixes came from balls that were caughtable, but the chances didn’t stick. Rajat Patidar continued to challenge Suyash Sharma, and when the leg-spinner bowled a googly to Abhishek, the batter miscued again—this time straight into the hands of substitute fielder Jordan Cox at long on.
Klaasen raises the tempo against Hazlewood
Heinrich Klaasen began more cautiously before accelerating once he faced Hazlewood. RCB briefly looked capable of dragging the game back when Romario Shepherd delivered a five-run over, but Klaasen responded emphatically in the 13th over. After Hazlewood attempted a yorker, Klaasen moved him aside and struck through the line. The bowler followed up with a slot, which Klaasen dispatched into the midwicket stands.
Hazlewood appeared to have nailed his wide yorker, yet Klaasen stayed balanced and used his bat to guide it behind point for four. A full toss then arrived, and Klaasen turned it into another six, finishing a 27-run over—the highest Hazlewood has conceded in T20s. In the 15th over, Klaasen struck over extra cover against Bhuvneshwar to push his season tally beyond 600 runs.
Ishan Kishan’s late onslaught seals the total
The batting display didn’t slow after Klaasen’s surge. Alongside him, the number three batter continued to attack the bowling. He struck sixes early off Suyash Sharma and Krunal Pandya and then was just as effective against Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Kishan reached fifty off 31 deliveries and carried on until the final ball. In the closing phase, he hit one six and two fours off Rasikh Dar, and despite signs of fatigue, he finished unbeaten on 79 off 46.
SRH also managed to keep the pressure on at the end. Even with Nitish Reddy finishing not out on 29 from 13 balls, only 17 runs came from the last 12 deliveries, with Bhuvneshwar and Rasikh contributing to the late slowdown.
Bengaluru’s chase begins with Venkatesh Iyer
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s response began with a rare opening chance for Venkatesh Iyer. With Jacob Bethell sidelined and Phil Salt still finding his rhythm, Iyer seized the moment immediately, starting the chase with a 19-ball knock of 44. He attacked Pat Cummins aggressively and then turned his attention to left-arm wrist spinner Shivang Kumar, who was entrusted with the fourth over.
Iyer punished the new ball with three sixes and a four in a 23-run over, taking RCB to fifty in the fourth over. His innings ended in the fourth over when he mistimed a short ball from Eshan Malinga, and Ishan Kishan gathered the catch at deep midwicket.
SRH’s cutter plan disrupts the middle overs
Sunrisers maintained a clear bowling template with the cutters. Sakib Hussain set the tone in the sixth over by delivering six consecutive cutters, conceding just four singles in the process and dismissing Virat Kohli—whose shot was played to cover after contacting a ball outside the off-stump.
Harshal Patel came on as the impact substitute ahead of Praful Hinge and began with cutters as well. Eshan Malinga followed the same approach, and his spell produced another breakthrough when he removed Devdutt Padikkal, who found the deep square-leg fielder with his shot.
RCB pace themselves to lock in top-two
SRH’s total demanded a near-perfect chase, yet Bengaluru only needed to reach 166 for a top-two finish. They largely played to that requirement, taking fewer risks after settling into the halfway point of the chase. Cummins tried to throw attacking options at the batters, but wickets never arrived at the right time.
Bengaluru’s cause also benefited from a lapse: Cummins dropped a straightforward chance in the 16th over off Eshan Malinga. In the 17th over, RCB moved beyond 166, confirming their top-two position and setting up a Qualifier 1 against Gujarat Titans. Harshal Patel’s impact spell also failed to change the course of the innings; he missed his lengths and ended with figures of 0-37.
Rajat Patidar sets the base, but Travis Head strikes late
Rajat Patidar contributed a crucial fifty for RCB, but his stay at the crease ended when Travis Head sent him back. The dismissal came in the 18th over, with Head producing an off-spinner’s delivery that was treated as a long-hop, taken out of the batter’s control and converting into a wicket.
After Patidar’s departure, Krunal Pandya and Tim David carried the innings forward and brought RCB to exactly 200. That ensured SRH’s 55-run victory and sealed a third-place finish for the losing side.
Fixtures and next steps
For Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the next stop is Dharamsala for Qualifier 1 on May 26, where Gujarat Titans will be the hurdle for a direct ticket to the final. Sunrisers Hyderabad, meanwhile, will travel to Mullanpur for their next assignment, facing the team that finishes fourth in the Eliminator on May 27.
