SRH thump RCB by 5 runs to enter play-offs

A consistent Sunrisers Hyderabad unit would look to consolidate its position at the top of the points table while Royal Challengers Bangalore will fight for survival when they clash in the Indian Premier League here.

Match Summary

Table toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad produced yet another spirited bowling effort after skipper Kane Williamson's crucial half-century to beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by five runs and virtually assure themselves a place in the play-offs of the Indian Premier League.

Sunrisers not only register their fifth consecutive win of the tournament today but also defended yet another low total riding on the performance of their excellent bowling unit.

Sent into bat, Sunrisers managed a modest 146 but came back strongly after the break riding on yet another gutsy bowling display to restrict RCB to 141 for six.

By virtue of this win, Sunrisers have consolidated their position at the top of the table with 16 points from 10 games.

RCB, on the other hand, are standing on the verge of elimination with just six points from 10 matches. Besides needing to win their remaining four games, RCB's fortune will also depend on the outcome of other matches.

Chasing the modest target, Parthiv Patel got RCB off to a brisk start scoring 20 off 13 balls before Shakib Al Hasan (2/36) caught him plumb in front of the wicket.

Skipper Virat Kohli (39) and opener Manan Vohra (8) added 36 runs for the second wicket before the latter was cleaned up by Sandeep Sharma.

Kohli, however, looked in ominous form and did not lose a single opportunity to punish the bad deliveries.

Kohli should consider himself lucky as his counterpart Williamson dropped him at slip off Rashid Khan (1/31) in the ninth over. He took on Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan , hitting him for a six and two boundaries But Kohli failed to capitalise as he got a leading edge off Shakib in the next over and Yusuf Pathan took a one-handed catch at short third-man to the delight of home fans.

When Virat took on Shakib
Three shots, all three well-timed. Virat Kohli takes centre stage. https://t.co/Ru0O9UYJEp via @ipl #SRHvRCB #IPL2018

— Deepak Raj Verma (@iconicdeepak) May 7, 2018

RCB's woes compounded in the next over when Afghanistan's wonder spinner Rashid went through the defence of dangerous AB de Villiers (5) with a wrong'un.

Towards the end, Mandeep Singh (21 not out) and Colin de Grandhomme (33) added crucial 57 runs for the sixth wicket to keep RCB in the hunt.

RCB needed 19 runs off the last two overs but Siddharth Kaul (1/25) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/27) came up with superb death bowling display to concede just 14 runs and seal yet another win for their side.

Earlier, skipper Kane Williamson struck a vital half-century before pace duo of Mohammed Siraj and Tim Southee joined hands to help RCB bundle out Sunrisers for a modest 146.      

Williamson scored 56 off 39 balls while Shakib made 35 but it was Siraj (3/25) and Southee's (3/30) fiery spell that eventually put brakes on Sunrisers' charge.

Sent into bat, Sunrisers did not have the best of starts as they lost openers Alex Hales (5) and Shikhar Dhawan (13) early.

To make matters worse for the hosts, Manish Pandey (5) too didn't last long, handing out a simple catch to skipper Kohli off Yuzvendra Chahal (1/25) in the ninth over.

Thereafter, Sunrisers captain Williamson and Shakib stitched 64 runs off just 50 balls for the fourth wicket to keep the hosts afloat.

While Shakib played the second fiddle, Williamson showcased his class striking the balls to all parts of the ground without taking any undue risk.

Wlliamson brought up his fifth half-century of the tournament in 35 balls.

But just when it was time for Williamson to accelerate, the Kiwi departed, holing out to Mandeep at deep midwicket square-leg off Umesh Yadav in the 16th over.

Williamson's innings was studded with five boundaries and two huge sixes.

Soon after Williamson's dismissal, it was left to a set Shakib to up the ante but the Bangladesh all-rounder too departed an over later caught by Yadav at deep-square leg off Southee's bowling.

Pathan then found the fence twice off Southee in the same over before perishing in the next over, cleaned up by Siraj.

After being clobbered for a six by Wriddhiman Saha (8) in the same over, Siraj got his man when he went through the defence of the right-hander with another quick delivery.

If that was not enough, the final over from Southee accounted for three Sunrisers' wickets -- two runs outs in the form of  Rashid and Bhuvneshwar and then a LBW dismissal of Sandeep Sharma from the final delivery of the innings.

SRH batting summary

Skipper Kane Wliiamson struck a vital half-century before pace duo of Mohammed Siraj and Tim Southee joined hands to help Royal Challengers Bangalore bundle out Sunrisers Hyderabad for a modest 146 in an Indian Premier League match here today.

Williamson scored 56 off 39 balls while Shakib Al Hasan made 35 but it was Siraj (3/25) and Southee's (3/30) fiery spell that eventually put brakes on Sunrisers' charge.

Sent into bat, Sunrisers did not have the best of starts as they lost openers Alex Hales (5) and Shikhar Dhawan (13) early.

To make matters worse for the hosts, Manish Pandey (5) too didn't last long, handing out a simple catch to skipper Virat Kohli off Yuzvendra Chahal (1/25) in the ninth over.

Thereafter, Sunrisers captain Williamson and Shakib stitched 64 runs off just 50 balls for the fourth wicket to keep the hosts afloat.

While Shakib played the second fiddle, Williamson showcased his class striking the balls to all parts of the ground without taking any undue risk.

Wlliamson brought up his fifth half-century of the tournament in 35 balls.

But just when it was time for Williamson to accelerate, the Kiwi departed, holing out to Mandeep Singh at deep midwicket square-leg off Umesh Yadav in the 16th over.

Williamson's innings was studded with five boundaries and two huge sixes.

Soon after Williamson's dismissal, it was left to a set Shakib to up the ante but the Bangladesh all-rounder too departed an over later caught by Yadav at deep-square leg off Southee's bowling.

Yusuf Pathan then found the fence twice off Southee in the same over before perishing in the next over, cleaned up by Siraj.

After being clobbered for a six by Wriddhiman Saha (8) in the same over, Siraj got his man when he went through the defence of the right-hander with another quick delivery.

If that was not enough, the final over from Southee accounted for three Sunrisers' wickets -- two runs outs in the form of  Rashid Khan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar and then a LBW dismissal of Sandeep Sharma from the final delivery of the innings.

Toss and Team News

Visitors RCB have won the toss and opted to bowl first against Sunrisers at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.

Sunrisers Hyderabad playing XI: Alex Hales, Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson (capt), Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma

Sunrisers Hyderabad are playing with the same team.

Royal Challengers Bangalore playing XI: Parthiv Patel, Moeen Ali, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Mandeep Singh, Colin de Grandhomme, Manan Vorah, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammad Siraj

Two changes for RCB in playing XI. Manan Vorah comes in place of M Ashwin. England all-rounder Moeen Ali makes his IPL debut, replaces Kiwi veteran Brendon McCullum.

Preview

A consistent Sunrisers Hyderabad unit would look to consolidate its position at the top of the points table while Royal Challengers Bangalore will fight for survival when they clash in the Indian Premier League here.

Courtesy their splendid bowling attack, SRH emerged as good defenders initially but by defeating Delhi Daredevils with a seven-wicket margin yesterday, they proved that they could pull off tight chases as well. 

The hosts have already taken long strides towards a play-offs spot but still there are issues that must be bothering them ahead of the business end of the tournament. Opener Shikhar Dhawan's low strike rate must be a concern for them along with a shaky middle-order.

The Virat Kohli-led RCB, though, are struggling for survival as they need to win every game and also hope that other results go in their favour to remain in contention for the play-offs. They are placed sixth in the table with just three wins from nine games.

Come tomorrow, Kohli and AB de Villiers will have to weave some magic with their willows to make it tough for SRH, whose bowlers have proved to be headache for all teams. The return of their fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar only strengthens their attack.

RCB's big guns have failed to fire but now is the time to deliver since one more defeat would spell their ouster. 

Parthiv Patel (who scored 53 runs against Chennai) and Brendon McCullum need to support their side and the likes of Mandeep Singh and Colin de Grandhomme have to step up.

Death bowling has been a cause for concern for RCB, but they cannot afford to let it remain unchecked when it comes playing against the Sunrisers.

Umesh Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have put up good performances but Hyderabad-lad Mohammad Siraj and Washington Sundar also need to come up with a solid show tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Sunrises Hyderabad are enjoying a dream run in the ongoing edition  with their bowling attack dominating batsmen of all teams. Spinner Rashid Khan, pacers Siddharth Kaul and Sandeep Sharma, and spin all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, have been very effective.

They  have successfully prevented rivals from chasing down low totals on numerous occasions.

The SRH's batting department, which had appeared to be inconsistent, is also doing good of late as they successfully chased a target of 164 against Delhi.

English batsman Alex Hales, who opened the innings along with Dhawan last night, has been brilliant. SRH Captain Kane Williamson is one of the highest run getters in this edition.

The teams (from):

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (C ), Shikhar Dhawan, Manish Pandey, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Wriddhiman Saha, Siddharth Kaul, Deepak Hooda, Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Shreevats Goswami, Ricky Bhui, Basil Thampi, T Natarajan, Sachin Baby, Bipul Sharma, Mehdi Hasan, Tanmay Agarwal, Alex Hales, Carlos Brathwaite, Rashid Khan, Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Nabi and Chris Jordan.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (Captain), Quinton de Kock, Brendon McCullum, AB de Villiers, Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, Chris Woakes, Washington Sundar, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Colin de Grandhomme, Moeen Ali, Pawan Negi, Mohammed Siraj, Corey Anderson, Parthiv Patel, Tim Southee.