IPL 2022: Du Plessis and Hasaranga power RCB to massive 67-run win as SRH lose four in a row

Royal Challengers Bangalore completed a massive 67-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the teams’ second encounter of the Indian Premier League 2022 at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

Powered by a fine innings from captain Faf du Plessis who led from the front to amass a 50-ball unbeaten 73 and leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, who picked up a five-wicket haul in the second innings, RCB bettered their Net Run Rate in the points table to consolidate fourth spot.

After Virat Kohli’s golden duck in the first ball of the match, RCB overcame the shaky start to amass 192/3 against SRH. With a counter-attacking approach in their 105-run third-wicket stand, du Plessis and Rajat Patidar (48 off 38 balls) built a solid foundation for the team.

SRH bowlers headed by spinner Jagadeesha Suchith (2/30) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (0/34) slowed things down in the middle overs before designated finisher Dinesh Karthik (30 off 8) provide the final over flourish, scoring 25 runs.

SRH got off to a horror start chasing the huge total as both openers Abhishek Sharma and skipper Kane Williamson were removed in the opening over after failing to get off the mark. Although Aiden Markram (21 off 27) and Rahul Tripathi (58 off 37) stitched a 50-run partnership and attempted to steady the innings, the pressure of the asking rate continued to mount.

Player of the Match Hasaranga got rid of the former in his first over and followed it up by spinning a web in a middle-overs to bag the wickets of Nicholas Pooran (19 off 14), J Suchith (2), Shashank Singh (8) and Umran Malik (0). Hasaranga was well supported by pacer Josh Hazlewood (2/17) who dismissed Tripathi in the sixteenth over.

With this result, SRH were handed their fourth loss on a trot while RCB won two in a row.