Hyderabad, May 23: In the 67th match of IPL 2026, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) faced a 55-run defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Following the loss, captain Rajat Patidar praised the SRH bowlers for their effective use of slower deliveries, which made scoring difficult for his team.
After the match, Rajat stated, “I think their top five batsmen played exceptionally well and dominated the first innings completely.” Discussing the pitch conditions, he remarked, “Honestly, I didn’t feel that way, but I think the slower bouncers were quite effective. The SRH bowlers executed slower bouncers and yorkers brilliantly. Certainly, finishing at the top was our priority, but I believe a high score was set in the first innings. In my opinion, a total of 255 runs on this wicket is quite good.”
Rajat acknowledged the challenges his team faced against the slower balls. He noted, “I think their five bowlers made excellent use of slower bouncers and yorkers. The Hyderabad wicket is quite good, but when you bowl slower bouncers and deliver the ball at a reduced pace, it becomes very tough for the batsmen to score runs.”
Chasing a target of 256 runs set by SRH, RCB managed to score only 200 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in their 20 overs. Virat Kohli could only muster 15 runs off 11 balls. Opening batsman Venkatesh Iyer played a strong innings, scoring 44 runs off 19 balls. Devdutt Padikkal contributed 21 runs off 14 balls before being dismissed by Ishan Malinga. Captain Rajat Patidar scored 56 runs off 39 balls, while Krunal Pandya remained not out with 41 runs from 31 balls. Tim David also finished not out with 15 runs.
Earlier, Sunrisers Hyderabad posted a total of 255 runs, losing 4 wickets in their innings. Abhishek Sharma scored a quick 56 runs off 22 balls, while Ishan Kishan played a solid innings of 79 runs off 46 balls. Heinrich Klaasen contributed 51 runs at a strike rate of 212, hitting 2 fours and 5 sixes.
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