Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Royal Challengers Bangalore - Eliminator

Right, what a nail-biting Eliminator it was. Sure, Bangalore managed to put a low score of 131 on board but they did much better with the ball and took it to the last 4 balls in the second innings. But Hyderabad clinched it at the right time and Bangalore are out now. And with that, Hyderabad move on to Qualifier 2 to take on Delhi. That game will also be played at Abu Dhabi, on Sunday, 8th November 2020, at 1800 Local (1400 GMT). The winner of that encounter books the other spot in the final, to take on Mumbai. Join us for what promises to be a gripping Qualifier 2 and until then, take care and good night.

For his match winning innings, Kane Williamson is named the Man of the Match. Williamson smiles and admits that is the loudest an Aussie has cheered. Credits the bowlers for restricting them to a low score but also was aware that there was something in the surface as he feels Bangalore have a strong batting line up. Tells it was never going to be easy as Bangalore had two class leg spinners. Credits them for not keeping it tight. Tells he just looks to fulfil the role he has been given and says batting at 4 is not easy. Praises Holder and the partnership they had. Williamson says Holder is cooler than him and praises him for his form, both with bat and ball.

David Warner, the VICTORIOUS HYDERABAD SKIPPER, says that the last few games have been a bit tiring. Says that to win tonight was great, it was a top performance. States that Holder and Natarajan have made a great impact in the side. Warner says that the plan was to hold back Natarajan a bit for the end and use him. Don't want to be too over-reliant on Rashid. On Williamson, Warner says that he is a very bankable player for Hyderabad and credits him for being a fantastic player. He has done that for so many years for New Zealand. For Rashid, Warner states that he is running out of superlatives to praise him. When Harsha tells Warner that as an Australian, praising Kane, a Kiwi, Warner chuckles and sheepishly says that this will be the last time he does so.

Rashid Khan is caught for a quick chat. Tells that it was a tough game but he is happy to have ended on the winning side. Remembers their encounter against Punjab where his side failed to chase a similar score. Tells that he watches his old videos and checks on which balls he is getting hit. Feels that he has been hit for runs on the very full ball and short ball, so he works on that and it really helps him. Says that anything full is easier to hit on these wickets and one has to bowl a bit shortish length. Tells that they are looking forward to the next game against Delhi and want to keep things simple and enjoy the game.

Bangalore skipper, Virat Kohli, admits they did not have enough on the board. Feels they made a game of it in the second half. Kohli says that maybe because of nerves they were unable to be expressive with the bat and feels they failed to put the Hyderabad bowlers under pressure. Kohli says couple of people like Siraj, Padikkal have had a good season along with Chahal, who Kohli says has been a constant. Credits Padikkal for the season he had and feels happy for Devdutt. Kohli says there is no runaway favorite in this league and feels as there was no home advantage, this was one of the most competitive seasons. Kohli thanks the fans who have supported them and says that they feel privileged to be playing.

Earlier in the game, Warner invited Bangalore to set a target. Well, it was a sorry show from the Bangalore batters as just 3 of their batsmen could enter into double-digits. Kohli promoted himself but that didn't work for them. Finch and de Villiers managed to stitch a stand but once it was broken, things went haywire. ABD though kept his end and got to a fine half ton but got out at the wrong time. Eventually, Bangalore were stopped to a low score. All the Hyderabad bowlers were tidy but it was the Holder-Natarajan duo that got 5 wickets between them to push Bangalore on the back foot. Nadeem, Rashid and Sandeep managed to choke the runs too which in the end their batters chased down in the last over. Stay tuned for the presentation...

What about Bangalore's bowling? Well, the batters didn't put enough on the board and it was always going to be difficult for them. That's exactly how it panned out. Siraj struck twice inside the Powerplay while the spinners did their job too. Zampa and Chahal got one each but with absolutely no pressure of the asking rate, Hyderabad batters didn't take a lot of risks and managed to stroll to Qualifier 2.

The run chase didn't start well as Siraj struck in his first over. Warner and Pandey steadied the ship but once Warner was dismissed, there was a blip. They lost 2 more wickets quickly but Williamson made sure he wasn't bogged down because of the slow run rate. He kept his end and took the team home in the end with a fine half ton. Holder played his part as well and in the last over creamed the strokes to seal the deal.

Qualifier 2, here come Hyderabad and in style! What a turnaround it has been from the Orange Army. An easy chase in the end with two of the coolest heads in Williamson and Holder taking their team home without much trouble. There was a moment when Bangalore would've thought that they could force a collapse but with Kane out there, it didn't occur. And Bangalore's wait to lift their first-ever Indian T20 League title has been extended for another edition.

8 needed off 5. Super Over anyone? Surely we do not have any more nails remaining. Can Saini defend it? Too tense this game. 

Mohammed Siraj will bowl the penultimate over of the innings. 3-0-19-2 for him so far.

Navdeep Saini is back on. 2-0-12-0 for him so far. Can he deliver the goods for Bangalore?

Adam Zampa is done with his spell. Who does Kohli hand the ball to now? A surprise as Shivam Dube will bowl now.

DRINKS! This game is at a knife edge at the moment. Hyderabad need 35 in 24 and have two of the coolest heads in Williamson and Holder out in the middle. Bangalore know this is not an easy wicket to bat on and a wicket here will put pressure on Hyderabad. Pheww! This is too tense.

Yuzvendra Chahal to bowl the final over of his spell. His figures so far read 3-0-14-1.

Adam Zampa to finish out now. 3-0-6-1 are his figures so far.

Eliminator of the 2020 Indian T20 League is upon us. Hyderabad and Bangalore will be crossing swords in Abu Dhabi and the winner will get a shot to reach the final. Hyderabad can be called a team on the rise as they have won their last 3 encounters against teams that are featuring in the playoffs. That momentum hands them the advantage over others but they cannot rest on their laurels. It's a knockout scenario now and Hyderabad would be hoping that both the departments of their game come good. With Saha opening, they have found the right balance and are looking quite potent as a unit. Bangalore, on their part, were a shade lucky to get into the playoffs. They started the season with a bang but finished the league round with 4 consecutive defeats. That's primarily due to the sudden dip in their bowling form and also, their batting hasn't been showing the same zing. Quickly they gather themselves, better it will be for their campaign. On sheer momentum, Hyderabad will be the favourites.

Sunrisers Hyderabad Team Squad -Abdul Samad,Bavanaka Sandeep,David Warner,Kane Williamson,Manish Pandey,Priyam Garg,Virat Singh,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

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