IPL 2024: Cummins' three-fer helps SRH win against RCB by 25 runs

Bengaluru: In the Indian Premier League's Match 30 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Monday, Sunrisers Hyderabad upset host Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 25 runs, amassing the highest aggregate total for a T20 match with a total of 549 runs. Veteran batter Dinesh Karthik scored 83 off 35 deliveries, but it was all in vain.

To begin RCB's pursuit of the IPL's highest total, Hyderabad substituted Mayank Markande for Travis Head in the Impact lineup. Similar to RCB, SRH handed spinner Abhishek Sharma the opening over.

Just the fifth ball of the over and Abhishek Sharma dropped Virat Kohli on the score of 1, who had forcefully played it back to the bowler.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar came in for the second over, and Kohli lofted barely over the leaping short-third fielder got the boundary and then smashed the last ball for the maximum.

SRH were 76 without loss after the Power-play and RCB bettered that with 79/0 thanks to their openers. Kohli lofted Pat Cummins over his head to end the Power-play with a boundary. He was on 42 off 19 balls, with six fours and two sixes. Du Plessis also raced away to 37 from 17, including five fours and two sixes. SRH got their Impact Substitute into action, and he delivered straight away. Mayank Markande tossed the googly up, and dipped on a length on off stump, as it drifted in. Kohli went for the slog sweep but was beaten by the turn and the slowness of the ball. RCB were 80 for 1 after 6.2 overs, with Kohli gone for 42 off 20 deliveries.

The RCB captain reached his fifty in 23 balls off the fifth ball of the eighth over, which was bowled by Jaydev Unadkat. He reached out far away from his body and managed to slash it over a short third. Next ball, he drove down the ground, only for the ball to tickle Unadkat's hands and flick the bails at the non-striker's end. Will Jacks was out of the crease and RCB lost their second wicket.

In came Rajat Patidar who thumped his second ball for a massive six over Markande's head. Two legal balls later, he heaved across the line only to find the fielder at wide long-on. RCB were 111 for 3 after nine overs.

Yet again a double strike came from the skipper Cummins, who got du Plessis for 62 and Saurav Chauhan for a duck. RCB scrambled as they lost the last four wickets in just 13 legal deliveries.

After RCB's numbers 3,4 and 5 departed for 7, 9, and 0 respectively, Dinesh Karthik provided some entertainment to the crowd. He added 59 runs with Mahipal Lomror, out of which the latter contributed only 19. Lomror hit two sixes, but Karthik kept pumping boundaries from the other end. Cummins came back to bowl the 15th over and had Lomror chopping on. RCB were 187/6, with five overs left. Karthik then joined hands with Anuj Rawat and added 63 in just 28 deliveries, out of which the latter contributed only 8.

T. Natarajan, bowling the last over of his spell. got the prized wicket of Karthik, who got out after scoring 83 off just 35 deliveries. With RCB needing 44 of last over Rawat smashed 18 runs as Hyderabad defeated Bengaluru by 25 runs in the highest aggregate for a T20 match with a tally of 549 runs.

Brief score:

Sunrisers Hyderabad 287/3 in 20 overs (Travis Head 102, Heinrich Klassen 67; Lockie Ferguson 2-58, Reece Topley 1-68) beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru 262/7 in 20 overs (Dinesh Karthik 83, Faf du Plessis 62; Pat Cummins 3-43, Mayank Markande 2-46) by 25 runs.

With inputs from IANS