Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Sunrisers Hyderabad - Match 52

Right then! In the first game, Mumbai trumped Delhi with ease and registered a strong victory. In this game, a win for Hyderabad means that they move into the fourth place and are still alive in the tournament. Bangalore, though have a do or die encounter against Delhi if they want to qualify and if they are looking to finish in the top 2 spots. An interesting end awaits to the group stages of this year's tournament. The action continues on Sunday, 01 November, 2020 as it is Super Sunday! The first game sees Chennai taking on Punjab in Abu Dhabi and the second game will see Kolkata and Rajasthan battle it out in Dubai. All the action will begin at 1400 local (1000 GMT). We hope to have your company for these games. Until then, take care.

Sandeep Sharma is the Man of the Match for his brilliant bowling performance. He starts off by saying that when he started bowling, the wicket was a little sticky and so he thought about bowling wicket to wicket. Adds that he has been bowling knuckle balls and Jonny Bairstow has been helping him about what deliveries to bowl. Further adds that it took him 3-4 months to properly bowl the knuckle ball. Tells that Virat Kohli is one of the greatest batsman and he is very happy to get his wicket. Tells that there is one more game to go and that they are finding the momentum for that game. Ends by saying that they are excited about the game but they will see what happens.

The skipper of Hyderabad, David Warner says that losing Vijay Shankar is a big miss. Feels that they have done well at the top order and in the middle overs too. Credits the bowlers for their performance. Adds that they need to adapt really well as the wicket is getting slower. On the dew in this game, Warner says that he wasn't surprised seeing that at all. Praises Holder and says that he is a great all-rounder. Feels that bowling a bouncer to someone of his height will take a lot of effort. Reckons it is good to be consistent towards the end and says that they will look to take the momentum from this game towards the last league game which is a do or die match for them. Feels that they have done something similar in 2016 and will look to do that again.

Jason Holder is caught for a quick chat. Tells that it was a matter of going out there and playing positively. Tells that they knew that the dew will come in play and that's why they bowled first. Feels defending a score on this wicket is a bit difficult but when you bat first, you need to have a good score. Adds that with one game left, they have got all to play for. Says that the skipper has done really well to rotate the bowlers well and adds that bowlers have chipped in at the right time. Ends by saying that he was waiting to play in this tournament for a while and is happy to get a chance.

Bangalore skipper, Virat Kohli, says that they felt that 140 could've been a good score. Feels the wicket changed drastically as dew played it's part. Tells that the opposition read the wicket really well. Adds that the dew has played it's part in the last few games in Sharjah and Dubai. Says that they weren't brave enough with the bat and credits the Hyderabad bowlers for bowling in the right line and length. Says that it is a competitive tournament and things like these will happen. On their last game, Kohli says that it is going to be a cracker game against Delhi as both the teams are locked with 14 points. Says that he is always been a Bangalore boy as far as this tournament is concerned.

Earlier in the day, the bowling by Hyderabad was excellent as they restricted Bangalore to a measly total of 120. Sandeep Sharma and T Natarajan were brilliant with the ball. The batters of Bangalore never quite took off. All things considered, Hyderabad were ruthless throughout the game and they have added two more important points.

Defending a low total of 121, the bowlers of Bangalore had little margin for error. There was not much that they could do as the total was really less. The dew also settled in and that made it even harder for them to bowl. Chahal and Sundar were good with the ball for Bangalore.

They started their chase on the back foot as they lost Warner early on. They needed a good partnership early on and Saha and Pandey did well to steady the ship after they lost their skipper. They kept adding runs on the board in the middle overs and did really well. It was Holder then who came in and then smashed a few balls past the ropes and ensured that Hyderabad end the game comfortably.

Hyderabad needed to perform and perform, they did! What an impressive show this has been by Warner and his boys. If they were to lose this, this could have been the end of the road for them in this year's tournament but they have performed admirably and have won this encounter by 5 wickets and with 35 balls to spare. 

Who walks out now for Hyderabad? It is Abdul Samad.

Review time! Virat Kohli has taken the DRS for an LBW after Holder has been given not out. Let's see what the replays have got to show. There is a spike as the ball gets close to the bat. The onfield decision stays.

Navdeep Saini is back on. Went for 11 in his first over.

Who will be the new man in? It is Jason Holder who replaces Kane Williamson.

Isuru Udana is back on. 2-0-11-0 from him so far.

Who walks out next for Hyderabad? It is Abhishek Sharma. Washington Sundar returns too.

The umpires are having a look at the ball and are contemplating if they need to change it. The ball has probably changed it's shape. They decide to change it in the end and a new ball is issued.

Match 52 sees 2 teams from the South, Bangalore and Hyderabad, lock horns. Bangalore lost to Chennai and Mumbai in their last 2 games but are still at No. 2 on the points table, with 14 points and a positive NRR. They though need to secure 16 points first and will look to do it in this very clash. But it won't be that easy, as Warner's men are riding sky-high after a clinical performance to thump Delhi in their last game. The latter whom Bangalore will face in their last league fixture. Bangalore need to get their overall act, especially their bowling together to clinch this one. For Hyderabad, they need to take their cue from the last game and repeat the same. Win and win with a good boost to their NRR. If they can do that, they become a serious contender for a playoffs berth as NRR could become a crucial factor.

Royal Challengers Bangalore Team Squad -Aaron Finch,Devdutt Padikkal,Gurkeerat Singh Mann,Pavan Deshpande,Virat Kohli,Chris Morris,Moeen Ali,Shahbaz Ahmed,Shivam Dube,Washington Sundar,AB de Villiers,Josh Philippe,Parthiv Patel,Adam Zampa,Dale Steyn,Isuru Udana,Mohammed Siraj,Navdeep Saini,Pawan Negi,Umesh Yadav,Yuzvendra Chahal

Sunrisers Hyderabad Team Squad -Bavanaka Sandeep,David Warner,Kane Williamson,Manish Pandey,Priyam Garg,Virat Singh,Abdul Samad,Abhishek Sharma,Fabian Allen,Jason Holder,Mohammad Nabi,Sanjay Yadav,Vijay Shankar,Jonny Bairstow,Shreevats Goswami,Wriddhiman Saha,Basil Thampi,Billy Stanlake,Khaleel Ahmed,Prithvi Raj,Rashid Khan,Sandeep Sharma,Shahbaz Nadeem,Siddarth Kaul,T Natarajan