A passing piece of advice from Virat Kohli became a key moment on Friday night as Royal Challengers Bengaluru's young leg-spinner Suyash Sharma responded immediately to his senior’s words by dismissing Heinrich Klaasen off the very next delivery during their match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday. The moment unfolded during the clash at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow – an otherwise forgettable outing for the playoff-bound side.
Suyash, under pressure after being punished by Ishan Kishan and Klaasen, looked rattled when Kohli walked up for a brief but animated conversation mid-over. Klaasen had just drilled him for a third boundary in the over, and momentum was slipping. But whatever Kohli said worked like a charm.
Sharma tossed up the next ball with intent, tempting Klaasen into a misjudged lofted drive. The ball sailed straight into the hands of Romario Shepherd at long-on, triggering animated celebrations.
Watch Kohli's pep-talk:
RCB eventually stumbled to a 42-run defeat, with SRH salvaging pride in their penultimate game of the season. The win was a welcome reprieve for Pat Cummins’ men, who dominated the contest from start to finish despite having no stake left in the playoff race.
{{/usCountry}}RCB eventually stumbled to a 42-run defeat, with SRH salvaging pride in their penultimate game of the season. The win was a welcome reprieve for Pat Cummins’ men, who dominated the contest from start to finish despite having no stake left in the playoff race.
{{/usCountry}}Put in to bat, Hyderabad rode on a destructive 94* off 48 balls from Ishan Kishan, whose knock included seven fours and five sixes. Kishan anchored the innings superbly after early fireworks from Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head. A brisk cameo from Aniket Verma (26 off 9) added polish to a formidable 231/6 total.
Bengaluru began the chase confidently through Kohli and Phil Salt, with the former looking fluent in his 43 off 25 balls. But a mid-innings collapse saw the innings spiral out of control. Salt’s 62 was the lone pillar of resistance before the rest of the lineup folded for 189 in 19.5 overs.
RCB are now third on the points table with 17 points from 13 games. They will face the Lucknow Super Giants in their final match of the league stage; LSG are also eliminated from the playoffs race but would aim at spoiling RCB's party, who are aiming for a top-2 finish. Rishabh Pant's men produced an exemplary performance against table-toppers Gujarat Titans earlier this week, defeating them by 33 runs.