Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) emerged victorious with a commanding 35-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Match 41 of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium. RCB’s triumph over SRH marks a significant turnaround in their fortunes. They snapped their losing streak and secured a crucial win in the IPL 2024 season.

Setting a Competitive Target

Led by Faf du Plessis, RCB set a competitive target of 207 runs for SRH, showcasing their batting prowess and determination to dominate the match from the outset.

See Also: OTD: When CSK claimed first IPL trophy 14 years ago

In the first innings, Rajat Patidar and Virat Kohli struck half-centuries in contrasting fashion as Royal Challengers Bengaluru posted 206/7 in 20 overs despite a three-fer by Jaydev Unadkat in his 100th match.

Kohli scored fifty off 37 balls, while Patidar hammered his half-century off just 19 balls as RCB posted another 200-plus score after skipper Faf du Plessis opted to bat first.

Unadkat applied the brakes on the free-scoring RCB innings by claiming the key wickets of Patidar, Kohli, and Mahipal Lomror for a fine haul of 3-30 off four overs. Cameron Green (37 off 20) and Impact Player Swapnil Singh (12 off six balls) unleashed some big shots in the death overs as RCB crossed the 200-run mark again in IPL 2024. 

SRH’s Batting Collapse

SRH faced a daunting challenge in pursuing RCB’s target, but their batting lineup struggled to gain momentum against RCB’s disciplined bowling attack, ultimately falling short of the required total.

SRH faced a significant setback when their key batter, Travis Head, fell early, dismissed by Will Jacks in the opening over after scoring just one run off three balls. Yash Dayal removed Abhishek Sharma in the 4th over, who departed after contributing 31 runs from 13 deliveries. Swapnil Singh then impacted with two quick wickets in the 5th over, dismissing Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen, leaving the hosts in a precarious position at 56/4.

RCB maintained their stronghold as Karn Sharma claimed SRH’s fifth wicket, dismissing Nitish Reddy for 13 runs off 13 balls in the 8th over. Sharma struck again in the 10th over, removing Abdul Samad after his brief knock of 10 runs off 6 deliveries.

As the final over commenced, SRH required 44 runs to win. However, Jaydev Unadkat (8 runs off 10 balls) and Shahbaz Ahmed (40 runs off 37 balls) could only guide their team to 171/8.

RCB’s Batting Highlights

RCB’s batting performance was highlighted by impressive half-centuries from Rajat Patidar and Virat Kohli, setting the stage for a formidable total despite Jaydev Unadkat’s three-fer in his 100th match.

Kohli completed a slow half-century off 37 deliveries, hitting four boundaries and one six. Rajat Patidar more than made up for Kohli’s slow start with a blazing half-century off 19 deliveries. Kohli and Patidar raised 65 runs for the third wicket partnership, with the latter doing the bulk of the scoring. Their half-century came in 23 balls, with Patidar scoring 45 off them.

Most consecutive defeats for RCB (IPL)
7 defeats in 2018-19
6 defeats in 2017
6 defeats in 2024 – sequence ended today

Cam Green vs SRH
64(40) & 1/29(4) Hyderabad 2023
100*(47) & 0/2(1) Wankhede 2023
37*(20) & 2/12(2) Hyderabad 2024
He won POTM in all three of his matches against SRH. (presuming he wins today)

Most runs against an opposition in an IPL season (league games)
458 SRH vs RCB 2024 (287/3 & 171/8)
450 RCB vs PWI 2013 (263/5 & 187/3)
437 PK vs CSK 2014 (206/4 & 231/4)
436 KKR vs PK 2018 (191/7 & 245/6)

RCB wins this season
25 March: Beat PK by four wickets
25 April: Beat SRH by 35 runs

Every side have now lost at least one home game in IPL 2024