Bengaluru, March 28 Stand-in captain Ishan Kishan smashed a brilliant fifty as Sunrisers Hyderabad managed to contain Jacob Duffy's excellent spell but only scored a slightly underwhelming 201 for nine against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2026 season opener here on Saturday.
Kishan (80, 38b, 8x4, 5x6) and his 97-run partnership with Heinrich Klaasen (31) for the fourth wicket were the key to SRH's innings.
However, the match had a rather different start when RCB captain Rajat Patidar asked Hyderabad to bat first on a pitch that had not hosted top-flight cricket for nearly 10 months.
The pitch would have been an unknown quantity, and chasing was a better option in that context.
Duffy's spell (4-0-22-3) vindicated this thought. The Kiwi pacer used his height effectively to generate considerable bounce off the track, and Abhishek Sharma (7) looked frustrated at not being able to free his arm despite hitting Duffy for a six over backward point.
The left-hander, who had always struggled against short balls, soon fell victim to his frustration as his awkward pull off Duffy ended in the gloves of Jitesh Sharma.
Earlier, RCB had used a DRS review for a caught behind appeal against Abhishek off Duffy in the very first over.
Travis Head and Nitish Kumar Reddy also failed to control their pull shots off Duffy as SRH slipped to 29 for three in 4.2 overs, and the visitors ended the Power Play at 49 for three.
However, Kishan never really faltered, batting with a lot of confidence despite the pressure.
The left-hander reached his fifty in 27 balls with a four off leg-spinner Suyash Sharma, and his innings featured some brilliant shots.
Abhinandan Singh bore the brunt of Kishan's aggression, as Kishan hit him for 6, 4, 6, and later spinner Krunal Pandya was also hammered for two sixes in an over.
A powerful shot over third man off Abhinandan carried Kishan to 80, and a century was within his reach.
However, the pacer had the last laugh as Kishan fell to a stunning one-handed diving catch by Phil Salt near deep backward point.
This could definitely be one of the best catches of the season.
Kishan's dismissal robbed SRH of some momentum in the death overs, despite Aniket Verma (43, 19 balls), who was dropped by Virat Kohli on 26 off Bhuvneshwar Kumar, striking a useful knock down the order. Nevertheless, Hyderabad could only manage 59 runs in the last five overs.
Kishan (80, 38b, 8x4, 5x6) and his 97-run partnership with Heinrich Klaasen (31) for the fourth wicket were the key to SRH's innings.
However, the match had a rather different start when RCB captain Rajat Patidar asked Hyderabad to bat first on a pitch that had not hosted top-flight cricket for nearly 10 months.
The pitch would have been an unknown quantity, and chasing was a better option in that context.
Duffy's spell (4-0-22-3) vindicated this thought. The Kiwi pacer used his height effectively to generate considerable bounce off the track, and Abhishek Sharma (7) looked frustrated at not being able to free his arm despite hitting Duffy for a six over backward point.
The left-hander, who had always struggled against short balls, soon fell victim to his frustration as his awkward pull off Duffy ended in the gloves of Jitesh Sharma.
Earlier, RCB had used a DRS review for a caught behind appeal against Abhishek off Duffy in the very first over.
Travis Head and Nitish Kumar Reddy also failed to control their pull shots off Duffy as SRH slipped to 29 for three in 4.2 overs, and the visitors ended the Power Play at 49 for three.
However, Kishan never really faltered, batting with a lot of confidence despite the pressure.
The left-hander reached his fifty in 27 balls with a four off leg-spinner Suyash Sharma, and his innings featured some brilliant shots.
Abhinandan Singh bore the brunt of Kishan's aggression, as Kishan hit him for 6, 4, 6, and later spinner Krunal Pandya was also hammered for two sixes in an over.
A powerful shot over third man off Abhinandan carried Kishan to 80, and a century was within his reach.
However, the pacer had the last laugh as Kishan fell to a stunning one-handed diving catch by Phil Salt near deep backward point.
This could definitely be one of the best catches of the season.
Kishan's dismissal robbed SRH of some momentum in the death overs, despite Aniket Verma (43, 19 balls), who was dropped by Virat Kohli on 26 off Bhuvneshwar Kumar, striking a useful knock down the order. Nevertheless, Hyderabad could only manage 59 runs in the last five overs.