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- SRH vs RCB Highlights, IPL 2026: Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 55 runs
SRH vs RCB Highlights, IPL 2026: Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 55 runs
SRH’s innings was built around relentless aggression from the very beginning. Abhishek Sharma set the tone by tearing into the powerplay with a blazing 56 off only 22 balls. He attacked former SRH teammate Bhuvneshwar Kumar fearlessly and ensured Hyderabad got off to another flying start.
After the early assault, Ishan Kishan combined composure with innovation during a brilliant 79 off 44 deliveries. The left-hander repeatedly punished RCB’s loose lines while finding boundaries with ease. The destruction intensified further when Heinrich Klaasen arrived at the crease. Widely regarded as one of the best middle-order T20 batters in the world, Klaasen hammered 51 off just 24 balls and completely dismantled Josh Hazlewood during a brutal over that yielded 27 runs.
Nitish Kumar Reddy then added the finishing touch with an unbeaten 29 off 12 balls as SRH finished on a mammoth 255 for 4, smashing 20 boundaries and 16 sixes.
RCB’s chase was never truly about winning after such a huge target. Instead, their attention quickly shifted towards crossing the qualification mark needed to guarantee a top-two finish. Captain Rajat Patidar led calmly with 56 off 39 balls while Krunal Pandya remained unbeaten on 41. Their partnership ensured RCB comfortably achieved their bigger objective despite ending on the losing side.
Patidar admitted SRH’s bowlers executed their plans perfectly, especially with slower bouncers and yorkers. Even on a good batting wicket, those variations made strokeplay difficult.
Still, finishing No.1 could prove priceless. History heavily favours teams winning Qualifier 1, and RCB now get two chances to reach the final. Rajat Patidar also entered elite company during the chase, becoming the third-fastest batter to reach 100 IPL sixes.
After years of playoff heartbreak, RCB finally look like a side that can handle pressure situations smartly. Now comes their biggest test against Gujarat Titans.
“I did enjoy it, is a dream wicket for me,” Sakib admitted after the game. But beyond the emotion, his bowling showed maturity. He relied heavily on slower balls after recognising the pitch was gripping, and RCB struggled to adjust.
It’s not easy for a young fast bowler to execute plans under pressure in high-scoring games, but Sakib has done exactly that all season. His willingness to stick to the team strategy instead of chasing wickets has impressed the SRH camp.
With playoffs around the corner, SRH suddenly have a bowling attack that complements their destructive batting perfectly. And if Sakib keeps improving at this rate, he may soon become one of the most talked-about uncapped players in the league.
Cummins praised Eshan Malinga and Sakib Hussain after the game, calling them a “captain’s dream.” The strategy was clear: slower balls into the surface. SRH pacers conceded just 7.53 runs per over with slower deliveries compared to over 10 with regular pace. Sakib revealed Varun Aaron had instructed the bowlers to stick to cutters and off-pace deliveries because the pitch was gripping.
That plan completely disrupted RCB’s chase, even on a batting-friendly surface. Rajat Patidar admitted SRH’s slower bouncers and yorkers made scoring difficult despite the good wicket.
SRH now head into the playoffs looking balanced in every department — explosive batting, adaptable bowling and a calm leader in Cummins who seems to have every player believing.
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Kishan says his approach is simple: “watching the ball and playing your game.” But the real difference has been his decision-making. He admitted his growth is less about maturity and more about “shot selection” — understanding situations, targeting bowlers and backing his strengths.
What stands out even more is the environment inside the SRH camp. Kishan credited Pat Cummins and the support staff for keeping players relaxed under pressure. “If you’re enjoying, you might get in the zone where you just play your best game,” he said.
The results speak for themselves. SRH have now crossed 200 nine times this season, and Kishan has become one of the biggest reasons behind their explosive batting identity.
SRH may have to take the tougher route, but they look dangerous. Their record while defending 220+ scores? A perfect 12 wins from 12 games. That batting unit has been relentless all season, becoming the first team ever to score 200+ nine times in a single IPL edition.
Meanwhile, the fight for the fourth playoff spot is still alive. Punjab Kings face a must-win clash tomorrow to stay in contention, while LSG are trying to avoid finishing last. The league stage may be nearing the end, but the drama is only getting bigger.
Their only larger margin against RCB came back in 2019, when SRH registered a massive 118-run win at the same ground, underlining a long history of strong performances in this matchup.
The latest result further strengthens SRH’s reputation at this venue, where they have often produced dominant displays with both bat and ball against RCB.
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RCB’s reward for finishing first is a high-stakes Qualifier 1 clash against GT, giving them two chances to reach the IPL 2026 final. GT also head into that contest with momentum after a strong league phase finish. SRH, despite finishing level on points with the top two, will have to go through the longer playoff route and cannot afford any slip-ups going forward.
With the top three locked in, attention now shifts to the final playoff spot. Three league matches remain, with four teams still in contention for fourth place.
In 12 such matches, SRH have won all 12, without a single defeat, showcasing how their explosive batting line-up consistently puts opponents out of the contest early. Once they cross the 220-mark, the pressure of chasing such mammoth totals has proven too much for any opposition to handle.
This record further highlights the impact of their ultra-aggressive batting philosophy, led by players like Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen and Ishan Kishan, who regularly push the scoring rate beyond safe chasing zones.
With every high-scoring outing, SRH continue to redefine T20 batting standards and reinforce why they are considered one of the most dangerous sides when setting a target.
9 - SRH in 2026
8 - GT in 2025
8 - PBKS in 2025
8 - PBKS in 2026
8 - RCB in 2026
657 - Andre Russell
884 - Nicholas Pooran
933 - Rajat Patidar*
943 - Chris Gayle
950 - Sunil Narine
992 - Shivam Dube
Onto the next one - That wraps up a batting spectacle filled with big hits and plenty of runs. Despite the defeat, Royal Challengers Bengaluru still head into the playoffs with two chances to reach the final, while Sunrisers Hyderabad finish with a morale-boosting win. The action in the Indian Premier League 2026 now moves to the Ekana Cricket Stadium, where Lucknow Super Giants face Punjab Kings in a crucial clash. Punjab need a win to stay alive, while the hosts will play for pride. It will begin at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT), but do join us early for all the build-up. Until then, goodbye and take care!
PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Ishan Kishan wins the award for his brilliant knock of 79 off 46. He says that he is taking one match at a time and not complicating things for himself. Adds that he just feels a bit more confident while playing against RCB. Mentions that he looks to understand the pitch and play every ball on its merit, and it is working out for him. Kishan shares that even when he was leading in the absence of Pat, he was looking to win the games then and keep SRH in the hunt for the playoffs, and when Pat came in, it gave the side one of its best bowlers and an undoubted skipper who knows how to win key moments and carry the team ahead. Ishan ends by saying that skipper Pat and the support staff are the reason behind the side's aggressive approach, as they have backed the entire team in playing the natural way.
The victorious skipper of Sunrisers Hyderabad - Pat Cummins says that it was pretty impressive to get to the score. Adds that there were some excellent batting performances and the bowlers did a fine job as well. Mentions that they threw everything at them to try and get into the top-two spots, but it wasn't to be. Cummins mentions that it is still a big win. Praises the bowling attack and says that he has also learned a few things from them. Shares that having the likes of Malinga and Sakib is a captain's dream. He ends by saying that they still have 5-6 days before the Eliminator, they will know who they will play in a couple of days, and prepare according to the team and conditions.
Presentation Time...
A chat with one of SRH's quicks - Sakib Hussain says that the plan was to bowl according to the understanding of the deck. Sakib mentions that Varun Aaron (Bowling Coach) said that the ball was sticking into the pitch, and he bowled slower cutters based on that input. Sakib says that Virat's wicket was a dream wicket for him. He reckons that he is looking to improve every time and the spirit of the side is really high and everyone is looking to give their 100 percent.
The captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru - Rajat Patidar says the top five batters played really well for SRH and dominated his bowling unit. Rajat mentions that the pitch did not slow that much in the second innings, but the opponents bowled really well. Patidar shares that their priority was to stay at the top, but they gave away a touch too many runs for the liking of this deck. Rajat reckons that the slower bouncer and variations into the deck were the way to bowl on this track, and SRH did that perfectly.
Hyderabad gain momentum at the right time - Sunrisers Hyderabad will take plenty of confidence from this bowling performance heading into the playoffs. They struggled to contain the scoring in the Powerplay, but Eshan Malinga and Sakib Hussain struck crucial blows by removing both the openers. Although wickets dried up in the middle overs, the bowlers adjusted smartly to the conditions, mixing up their pace and reducing the boundary flow to halt Royal Challengers Bengaluru's momentum. Once it was confirmed that SRH would finish third, Pat Cummins tossed the ball to Travis Head, who even chipped in with a wicket, as Hyderabad wrapped up a comfortable win in the end.
SRH batters run riot - Earlier in the game, Sunrisers Hyderabad piled on a massive total courtesy of blazing fifties from Heinrich Klaasen and Abhishek Sharma, while Travis Head and Nitish Kumar Reddy chipped in with quick cameos. However, it was Ishan Kishan who top-scored with a blistering 79 off 46 balls. It was a tough night with the ball for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, as all three frontline pacers conceded over 50 runs each, with only Rasikh Salam managing a couple of wickets. Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma picked up one each, but barring the last couple of overs, RCB struggled badly to contain the flow of runs.
RCB settle for top spot - Royal Challengers Bengaluru came out with aggressive intent in the Powerplay, with Venkatesh Iyer blazing away to a 19-ball 44, although Virat Kohli struggled to find fluency as they reached 75/2 in the first six overs. However, the momentum dipped in the middle phase and the focus gradually shifted from chasing the target to securing a top-two finish. Devdutt Padikkal chipped in with a handy cameo, while Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya stitched together an 84-run stand, with the skipper bringing up a classy half-century. Tim David then provided the late fireworks to ensure RCB finished the league stage at the top of the table, despite ending well short of the target.
SRH crush the defending champions - Sunrisers Hyderabad sign off from the league stage in style with a massive win over the defending champions, making it even more special in front of their loyal Orange Army. However, despite the 55-run victory, they finish third on the table and will now head into the Eliminator. Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 and will want to quickly move past this heavy defeat before that crucial clash.
- Krunal Pandya 41 (31)
- Tim David 15 (7)
Sakib Hussain to Krunal Pandya, Sakib delivers it on a length, onto the pads, Krunal Pandya tucks this towards deep mid-wicket and takes a couple of runs. 200 up for RCB but SRH win by 55 runs.
Sakib Hussain to Tim David, Short and into the batter, on middle and off, Tim David pulls this towards the deep mid-wicket fielder for a single.
Sakib Hussain to Tim David, FOUR! A boundary this time from the bat of Tim David. Short and wide of off, Tim David sets himself for another big one and hits this powerfully over extra cover for a boundary.
Sakib Hussain to Tim David, SIX! Even the mishit from Tim travels over the fence. Back of a length, on middle and off, Tim David stands still and hammers this up and over the fielder at long on for a biggie.
Sakib Hussain to Tim David, On a length, around off, Tim David hits this directly towards mid off.
SRH have been handed a slow over rate penalty.
Sakib Hussain to Tim David, On a length, around the pads, Tim David flicks this towards short fine leg. A fumble allows the batters to take two runs.
- Tim David 2 (2)
- Krunal Pandya 39 (30)
Travis Head to Tim David, Tossed up, around middle and leg, Tim David tucks this through mid-wicket for one.
Travis Head to Krunal Pandya, Full and on off, Krunal Pandya drives this through covers for a single.
Travis Head to Krunal Pandya, FOUR! Tossed up, full and on middle, Krunal Pandya goes down and sweeps it to the deep square leg fence for a boundary.
Travis Head to Tim David, Fuller around off, Tim David drills this towards long off for a single.
The next batter in is Tim David.
Travis Head to Rajat Patidar, OUT! CAUGHT! Head-master, at it with the ball this time. Not a great delivery though. Short of a length, spinning into the batter. Rajat Patidar rocks back and heaves it. Gets more elevation than distance and the ball has gone straight into the hands of Ravichandran Smaran at the deep square leg fence.
Travis Head to Krunal Pandya, Floated into the pads of KP. The batter goes for a slog sweep but misses out and gets this deflected off his pads towards the short third fielder for a leg bye. With that, RCB have locked their top spot on the table heading into the playoffs.
Oh..wow! Travis Head will roll his arms here.
- Rajat Patidar 56 (38)
- Krunal Pandya 34 (27)
Harshal Patel to Rajat Patidar, SIX! Muscled away for a biggie. On a length, around middle and leg, Rajat Patidar goes down in his knee and slog sweeps this from the middle of his bat for a biggie towards the deep mid-wicket region.
Harshal Patel to Krunal Pandya, Harshal goes full and in line of the stumps. Krunal Pandya rolls this towards long on for one.
Harshal Patel to Krunal Pandya, Bouncer, around middle and off, Krunal Pandya sways away from it.
Harshal Patel to Krunal Pandya, Good length, on off, Krunal Pandya punches this towards extra cover for a dot.
Harshal Patel to Rajat Patidar, FIFTY FOR RAJAT! Back of a length, around middle and off, Rajat Patidar hits this away towards the deep mid-wicket region and takes a single to bring up his half-century. Not the most fluid of knocks from the RCB skipper but he has done what the situation demanded him to do.
Harshal Patel to Krunal Pandya, Slower one, short and wide of off, Krunal Pandya pulls this towards the right of the fielder at deep mid-wicket for one.
- Krunal Pandya 32 (23)
- Rajat Patidar 49 (36)
Pat Cummins to Krunal Pandya, LEG BYE! On a length, drifting down the leg, Krunal Pandya goes for a flick but misses out. Gets hit on the front pad and the ball rolls away in the gap for a leg bye.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru have reached the 166-run mark, which means that they will finish in the top two. They need 12 more runs to ensure that they go into the playoffs being the league leaders. With that, Qualifier 1 is also confirmed, and it will be between RCB and Gujarat Titans at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala.
Pat Cummins to Rajat Patidar, Good length, on middle and leg, Rajat Patidar milks this through mid-wicket for one.
Pat Cummins to Rajat Patidar, FOUR! RCB WILL FINISH IN THE TOP 2! Back of a length, around off, Rajat Patidar arches back and opens the face of his bat. Hits this up and over the fielder at backward point for a boundary.
Pat Cummins to Krunal Pandya, Full and wide of off, Krunal Pandya drives this to wide long off for a single.
Pat Cummins to Krunal Pandya, Slower one, short and wide of off, Krunal Pandya swings really hard and wild at it. Gets it under-edged towards the left of the keeper.
Pat Cummins to Rajat Patidar, On a length, around off, Rajat Patidar chips this in front of long off for a single.
- Rajat Patidar 43 (33)
- Krunal Pandya 31 (20)
Eshan Malinga to Rajat Patidar, Full toss, on middle, Rajat Patidar miscues his slog towards deep mid-wicket for one.
Eshan Malinga to Rajat Patidar, FOUR! Salt to the wounds for Eshan Malinga! Pace off, short of a length and outside off, Rajat Patidar gets the chance to free his arms and crunches it through covers for a boundary.
Batting first, SRH piled up a massive 255 for 4 thanks to blistering half-centuries from Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen. Abhishek smashed 56 off just 22 balls, Kishan hammered 79 off 44 deliveries, while Klaasen’s brutal 51 off 24 balls dismantled the RCB bowling attack. Hyderabad’s innings featured 20 fours and 16 sixes in a complete batting masterclass.
Chasing 256 was never realistic for RCB, but their focus shifted towards crossing 166 to confirm a top-two berth. Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya stitched together a vital partnership to ensure Bengaluru comfortably achieved that target. Patidar’s composed 56 proved crucial as RCB eventually finished on 200 for 4.
The result meant RCB ended the league stage on top of the table with a superior net run rate, while Gujarat Titans and SRH followed closely behind with the same number of points.
Match Statistics
Venue
Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
