Virat Kohli's resilient fifty and Rajat Patidar's hard-hitting 50 off 20 powered Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to 206/7 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match here at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday.
Opted to bat first, star batter Virat Kohli and skipper Faf du Plessis made sure to give RCB a strong start with the bat as the opening pair hammered SRH bowlers all around the ground. Captain Pat Cummins then brought T Natarajan into the attack and the bowler gave his team a much-needed breakthrough as he dismissed the RCB skipper, Faf du Plessis. A slower bouncer by Natarajan got the better of du Plessis. Mayank Markande was brought into the attack by Cummins, which proved fruitful as he bagged the wicket of Will Jacks, who was never looking stable at the crease. Rajat Patidar with his sensational onslaught over Mayank Markande's third over of the night as he hammered the bowler for 27 runs. The star batter Patidar also brought up his 50-partnership with Kohli while also smashing fifty in 19 balls. Jaydev Unadkat got the big wicket for SRH, as he dismissed the in-form Patidar on the very next ball after completing his fifty. Kohli slammed a resilient fifty within 37 balls however the former RCB skipper was dismissed by Unadkat with a power-less shot after scoring 51 runs in 43 deliveries. Unadkat bagged his third wicket of the night in his 100th IPL match, as he dismissed Mahipal Lomror. After losing wickets at regular intervals, RCB was successful in scoring 206/7 in 20 overs. Brief score: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 206/7 (Virat Kohli 51, Rajat Patidar 50; Jaydev Unadkat 3-30) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad. (ANI)
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