Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) were given a reality check by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Hyderabad as they lost the contest by 55 runs. It was a strange game in which SRH took the victory, but RCB were not too disappointed either, as they finished in the top two and top position despite the loss. So, it was a win-win situation for both teams with SRH taking the win but settling for 3rd place, while RCB were happy with the top position. But there were areas that RCB fell short and need to be worked on ahead of Qualifier 1. We will try to analyse them for you here.
Conceding 126 runs for the loss of one wicket in the middle phase of the game gave the momentum away
SRH won the toss and decided to bat first on a flat deck. They got off to a quick, solid start through Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma as both looked fluent out there in the middle. Head fell, but Abhishek carried on through the post the power play and was the dominant scorer when Ishan came in initially. But in power play, SRH were 63/1 and decently placed. But the real acceleration came after the power play.
Abhishek Sharma took a special liking to the bowlers, while Ishan too tried to maintain the tempo. Abhishek scored a quickfire half-century while Ishan upped the ante as well. Abhishek failed to bring Heinrich Klaasen in the middle overs. Klaasen took his time for the first 7-10 balls as Ishan became the dominant scorer. But soon, Klaasen took down Hazlewood, hitting him for 27 runs in an over. The innings took off from Klaasen, and he made 51 off 24 balls. The SRH batters maximised the middle overs and set it up for the end overs as well.
RCB bowlers lacked discipline as their bowlers had a rare off-day, which may not be a bad thing, since it happened before the playoffs. Yes, the momentum has been stopped, but they would like to think of it as an off-day. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood went for over 50 runs, and so did Rasikh Salam. The others also went the distance. RCB just did not bowl the right lines and lengths, and they need to adapt quickly to the ground conditions in the playoffs. There is time to rectify the errors.
Slowing down by the RCB batters in the middle overs really slowed down the momentum
Chasing 256 for an improbable win, Venkatesh Iyer gave RCB a flying start in the power play alongside Virat Kohli, who was playing second fiddle. Venkatesh took on the bowling and showed his class at the top of the order as he scored 44 off 19 balls, striking an equal number of fours and sixes to his name. He was there with Kohli, who was complementing him really well out there. Till these two were there, it seemed RCB were going for the target.
But Iyer was dismissed in the 5th over by Eshan Malinga, and then Virat Kohli fell in the last over of power play to Sakib Hussain for 15 off 11 balls. Once Virat went, and the power play got over with 75/2 on the board, RCB’s batting, thanks to excellent bowling by SRH’s Eshan Malinga and Sakib Hussain, could not get the flurry of boundaries away. It seemed there was a change of game plan by RCB after Virat’s dismissal, and they went for the target of 166 and 178 to finish top of the table.
Padikkal fell, but the duo of Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya built a solid stand to make sure there were no collapses, and they went over the qualification for the top 2. But this kind of cricket, not seen often, is sometimes important. While SRH will take the win, RCB will be happy with the bigger picture. But this loss will hurt RCB’s momentum, but the defending champions will take solace from the fact that they finished in the top 2. But it was a total slowdown that meant the game was done and dusted as we entered the end overs.
A rare failure by Virat Kohli hampered the progression of winning the game
Another reason why RCB failed to chase down this massive score was the rare failure of Virat Kohli. Virat has had a stellar season yet again, performing when they are batting first or chasing. But the chase master, Virat, hit a couple of boundaries and got out. While he was there alongside Venkatesh Iyer, the RCB team were interested in chasing the target down. But once Iyer fell, and Virat too, in the power play, things slowed down post the break and power play.
Such is the impact of Virat Kohli, that the strategy changed post the chase master getting dismissed. Had Virat stayed there in the middle, maybe things would have been different, and he would have gone for the chase. But since he fell to a slower ball by Sakib and got outfoxed, Virat was frustrated as he left the field and saw his teammates adopt a different approach to finish in the top 2.
Virat will hope this was an off-day, and he will look to make a mark come the playoffs. Big matches, big names thrive under pressure. Kohli will want to bounce back against GT in Dharamsala in Qualifier 1, which will be a blockbuster in the hills. SRH planned, and the execution worked for them.
What Lies Ahead
So, RCB will play Qualifier 1 despite the loss as they will lock horns with GT in Dharamsala on Tuesday, 26th May 2026. SRH will play the Eliminator the following day at New Chandigarh, and they await the 4th team in the playoffs. We are into the weekend and the last 3 matches of the IPL 2026 league stage. Tonight is the battle of survival as bottom-placed LSG takes on PBKS in Lucknow. Punjab needs a win to keep their hopes alive and wait for other results to go their way on Sunday. While a loss for PBKS will mean elimination and a 7th loss in a row.
Let’s see how things pan out in Lucknow tonight in a massive game for the Kings, with teams like KKR, DC, and RR watching closely. All to play for now.
Also Read: SRH vs RCB: Ishan Kishan’s Blazing Knock Breaks RCB’s Momentum