IPL: Sunrisers bowlers stifle struggling RCB

Sunrisers Hyderabad bowlers once again proved their worth, defending another low total, this time against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL on Monday.

Kane Williamson’s 56 off 39 (5x4s, 2x6s) and Shakib Al Hasan’s 35 off 32 took Sunrisers to 146, as Tim Southee and Mohammed Siraj took 3-30 and 3-25 respectively.

Royal Challengers Bangalore found the going tough in the death overs, falling short by five runs at 141-6, as Sunrisers bowlers once again came to the fore.

Sandeep Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Sidarth Kaul went at under 6.5 runs per over in their completed spells, while Rashid Khan and Shakib Al Hasan combined for 3-67 off eight overs.

Virat Kohli with 39 and Colin de Grandhomme with 33 were the leading scorers. It was the fourth time Sunrisers defended a low total in the tournament. They previously defended 118 against Mumbai Indians, 132 against Kings XI Punjab and 151 against Rajasthan Royals.

While Sunrisers solidified their position at the top of the table, RCB now have to win and hope the other results go their way.

Tomorrow the action continues with Rajasthan Royals playing Kings XI Punjab from 10:30h.

Editor’s note: Follow the action live on E2, the official local broadcaster of IPL 2018.