SRH vs RCB Review – Kohli’s century keeps Bangalore’s Playoffs hope alive
Royal Challengers Bangalore secured vital two points after brushing aside Sunrisers Hyderabad in a one-sided contest in Hyderabad. The home side posted a competitive total on the back of Heinrich Klaasen’s blistering century, but failed to lay a glove on the visitors as Virat Kohli’s sixth IPL century took RCB home with ease.
While a makeshift Sunrisers Hyderabad opening pair of Rahul Tripathi and Abhishek Sharma did well to negotiate the RCB pacers, both of them fell to Michael Bracewell in one over in the powerplay. With the team in a spot of the bother, the Orange Army promoted an in-form Heinrich Klaasen in the batting order.
The South African dasher did not waste any time in the middle, unleashing his big shots against the RCB spinners. Klaasen took a liking to left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed, dispatching him for several boundaries. Despite losing his skipper Aiden Markram, Klaasen continued his assault and went on to register a maiden IPL century in just 49 deliveries.
However, the visitors did well to pull things back in the last couple of overs, restricting the home side to a par total of 186 runs in their 20 overs. The Men in Red and Gold, who needed to win the game to boost their chances of finishing in a playoff spot, got off to a blistering start, thanks to Kohli and Faf du Plessis’s magnificent opening partnership.
While Kohli was the aggressor in the opening two overs, his skipper also joined the party to register 66 runs for the Bangalore-based franchise in the powerplay. The former Indian skipper looked in ominous touch from the get, and he made it count after smashing his sixth century in the tournament’s history to bring his side to the brink of victory. RCB eventually got home without much fuss, thanks to Kohli-du Plessis’ 172-run stand, the highest partnership of this season.
Best performers of the match
Virat Kohli: The former RCB skipper came into the game against SRH on the back of a couple of quiet outings. However, it was his aggressive approach from the get-go, which laid down the premise for the visitors. He was quite severe against anything too full or too short and smacked 12 fours and four sixes in his 100 off 63.
Heinrich Klaasen: The South African batting ace ended up on the losing side despite registering a whirlwind century in the first innings. It was his 49-ball ton which helped SRH finish with a competitive total on the board. His dismissal did deflate the Orange Army in the final over of the first innings as RCB pulled things back in the death overs.
What next for both sides?
The victors RCB will take on league leaders Gujarat Titans in their last league match at the Chinnaswamy on Sunday, May 21. Meanwhile, Sunrisers Hyderabad will travel to Mumbai to take on Mumbai Indians the same day at the Wankhede Stadium
