[Watch] Virat Kohli all smiles as RCB break their losing streak in IPL 2024 by beating SRH
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batting star Virat Kohli was all smiles as they outplayed the SunRisers Hyderabad on Thursday (April 25) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The right-handed batter was spotted sporting a big grin following the match and the video of the same emerged on social media.
After skipper Faf du Plessis elected to bat first, Kohli once again led the way with another half-century, though a scratchy one. However, the real impetus came from Rajat Patidar, who hammered a half-century off only 19 deliveries. The right-handed batter smashed four consecutive sixes off an over of Mayank Markande.
Towards the end, Cameron Green dished out a few big hits and stayed unbeaten at 37 off 20 deliveries, laced with five boundaries. Dinesh Karthik (11 of 6) and Swapnil Singh (12 of 6) also made contributions during their brief stay to propel RCB to 206.
In response, SRH managed 171-8 in 20 overs, thus losing the match by 35 runs.
RCB break their six-match losing streak as SRH's batting unit fizzles out
The SunRisers lost their explosive opener Travis Head in the first over and the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, and Heinrich Klaasen within five overs. The task became an uphill one from that point as the required rate kept surging.
Shahbaz Ahmed top-scored for the Orange Army, staying unbeaten at 40 as the home side fell short by 35 runs. Karn Sharma finished as the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4-0-29-2, while Cameron Green also chipped in with two wickets. Swapnil Singh was arguably the surprise package as he took a couple of wickets in his first over, nipping out Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen.
It was also the first home loss for the SunRisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024, while the RCB registered their second victory of the season to stay in contention for a playoff spot. Patidar also earned the Player of the Match award for his 20-ball 50.