"Ishan Kishan said 'Shubman Gill, I am your friend and I will score runs here'" - Aakash Chopra on SRH's IPL 2025 win vs RCB
Former India player Aakash Chopra has noted that Ishan Kishan did his close friend Shubman Gill a favor by playing a match-winning knock in the SunRisers Hyderabad's (SRH) IPL 2025 clash against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). He added that the wicketkeeper-batter also helped the Mumbai Indians' (MI) cause.
Kishan smashed an unbeaten 94 off 48 deliveries as SRH set RCB a 232-run target in Match 65 of IPL 2025 in Lucknow on Friday, May 23. Pat Cummins and company then bowled out the Jitesh Sharma-led side for 189 to register a comprehensive 42-run win.
Reviewing the SRH-RCB IPL 2025 clash in a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener pointed out that Kishan benefited the Gujarat Titans (GT) and the Mumbai Indians, his former franchise, in their quest for a top-two spot with his match-defining knock.
"Well played, Ishan Kishan. Mumbai wanted this team (RCB) and Punjab to lose two matches, so that they might finish at No. 2. That's also a possibility. Ishan Kishan said 'Shubman Gill, I am your friend and I will score runs here, and Mumbai, I am a former Mumbai player, I will score runs here, and stop RCB,'" he said (5:55).
While opining that SRH might retain Kishan for the next season after Friday's knock, Chopra added that the other batters also played crucial cameos.
"So he stopped RCB, and his contract has probably been put under the renewal process for next year. A lot of runs had been scored, which included Ishan Kishan, and everyone scored a few runs. Everyone kept hitting, whether it was Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma or Heinrich Klaasen," he observed.
The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that RCB floundered in the chase once the 80-run opening partnership between Phil Salt and Virat Kohli was broken.
"The (RCB) bowling was weak. In batting, Phil Salt batted incredibly well, and until Virat Kohli was there with him, it seemed like the runs might be chased, but after that, they just went downhill. Things did not go in their favor. Rajat Patidar and Jitesh Sharma scored a few runs, but the game was over once Romario Shepherd got out," Chopra elaborated.
While Phil Salt smashed 62 runs off 32 deliveries, Virat Kohli scored a 25-ball 43. RCB lost their last seven wickets for 16 runs when they were decently placed at 173/3 after 15.3 overs.
"This is the problem with these teams" - Aakash Chopra on SRH stunning RCB in their IPL 2025 clash
![SRH registered their fifth win in 13 games in IPL 2025. [P/C: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/05/005b1-17480653746801-1920.jpg?w=500)
In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that the SunRisers Hyderabad's win against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, much like the Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) twin wins against the Gujarat Titans, wasn't a big upset.
"This is the problem with these teams. These teams are actually good. If you look at the Lucknow Super Giants, their top three were good. They beat the Gujarat Titans at their home. In fact, they did a double on them, beat them at home and away," he said.
The analyst added that SRH are a formidable team, but they haven't played to their potential in IPL 2025.
"If you talk about Hyderabad, it's a good team. They are not a bad team, but have played badly, and the day they play well, they can beat anyone, and that's exactly what has happened. They batted first, and when you score 230 runs, half the match is in your grasp," Chopra observed.
Despite Friday's win, SRH remained eighth in the IPL 2025 standings with 11 points from 13 games. They could finish as high as sixth if they win their final league game against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Sunday, May 25.