Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed (3/7) and Glenn Maxwell (59 off 41) led Royal Challengers Bangalore to six-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in an IPL 2021 match in Chennai on Wednesday.
Put in to bat, Glenn Maxwell’s fifty (59 off 41) helped RCB post a modest total of 149/8 in 20 overs.
Apart from Maxwell, skipper Virat Kohli (33) Shahbaz Ahmed (14) and Kyle Jamieson (12) also made valuable contributions.
In reply, SRH were restricted to 143/9 after 20 overs, losing the match by 6 runs. With this win, RCB moved to the top of the table.
Chasing a modest total, SRH lost opener Wriddhiman Saha (1) cheaply in the beginning of the third over. However, skipper David Warner (54) and Pandey revived SRH innings.
The duo smashed boundaries every over to keep the SRH in the chase as they needed 73 off the last 10 overs.
However, Kyle Jamieson gave RCB the much-needed breakthrough by removing Warner in the 14th over.
After Warner’s dismissal, the required run rate increased after his wicket. Bairstow, Pandey and Samad tried to target Shahbaz Ahmed but mistimed their shots to return to the pavilion in the 17th over.
Vijay Shankar (3) and Jason Holder (4) too struggled as SRH kept on losing wickets. Even Rashid Khan’s 9-ball 18 cameo was not enough to get them over the line. This is SRH’s second loss on the trot while chasing.
