Ishan Kishan, bowlers fashion SRH's 42-run win over RCB in IPL
Lucknow, May 23 (PTI): Royal Challengers Bengaluru squandered a golden chance to finish inside the top two of the IPL points table, going down to Ishan Kishan-fuelled Sunrisers Hyderabad by 42 runs here on Friday.
As a result of this heavy defeat, Royal Challengers (17 points) have slid down to third on the table behind Gujarat Titans (18) and Punjab Kings (17). The Net Run Rate (NRR) also took a significant beating.
Once they were asked to chase an imposing 232, which the SRH set after Kishan made a stunning unbeaten 94 off 48 balls, RCB required some calculated assault on the target.
They mounted it through Phil Salt (62, 32b, 4xx, 5x6), Virat Kohli (43, 25b, 7x4, 1x6) and Jitesh Sharma (24, 15b), but could only amass 189 before getting bundled out, and it was RCB's first defeat away from home this season.
But the beginning of RCB's chase offered a different tale, as Kohli and Salt sprinted to 80 runs in just 7 overs.
Kohli, who had recently retired from Test cricket, was the chief aggressor, clattering pacers Harshal Patel for two fours and Eshan Malinga for a swatted six over mid-wicket.
But the veteran fell to an old nemesis — left-arm spin —for the 22nd time in his storied T20 career, this time to 22-year-old Harsh Dubey, the highest wicket-taker in 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season for champions Vidarbha.
However, Salt, who made 14 off his first 12 balls, found his depth at the right time, smashing 48 runs in the next 20 balls, and a tennis-style forehand six off Nitish Kumar Reddy was just stunning in its execution.
Salt raced to fifty in 27 balls but cramps curtailed his movements, and soon perished to Pat Cummins.
But on a rather smooth pitch, the RCB batters kept on finding regular boundaries to keep the asking rate from escalating.
Skipper Rajat Patidar (18) and Jitesh Sharma (24) added 44 quick runs for the fourth wicket to take RCB to 173 for three in the 16th over.
But a horrible mid-pitch between them saw Patidar getting run out by a couple of miles, and in the same over Malinga jettisoned big-hitting Romario Shepherd for a first-ball duck.
Jitesh perished to Unadkat and Tim David, who appears to have suffered a hamstring injury, in the space of nine deliveries as the fight soon ebbed out of the Royal Challengers.
In fact, the Bengaluru side lost the last seven wickets for 60 runs as Cummins (3/28) and Malinga (2/37) led SRH's bowling charge.
Earlier, the Hyderabad side went ballistic from the beginning through usual suspects — Abhishek Sharma (34, 17b) and Travis Head (17, 10b) before Kishan found his range during his 48-ball knock studded with seven fours and five sixes.
The famed 'Travi-shek' added 54 runs in just four overs, as the left-handers blitzed RCB new ball bowlers Yash Dayal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Bhuvneshwar conceded 18 runs in the second over as Head hammered him for a boundary, followed by a six and another four by Abhishek.
But soon, Abhishek flicked Lungi Ngidi straight into the waiting hands of Salt at square leg as the innings that played at a strike-rate of 200 came to an end.
Head too did not last long as the Aussie lobbed a knuckle ball from Bhuvneshwar to Shepherd near the circle.
It soon transpired into a trend as SRH batters, except Kishan, engaged in mindless aggression to squander their starts. But Kishan was a constant amidst all these fumbling, playing with a sensible head.
The left-handed power-hitter has been off-colour after a century in the initial part of the IPL, but showed glimpses of his destructive powers in this innings.
He never overdid things like some of his colleagues, and the measured six off Bhuvneshwar in the last ball of the 18th over was a treat to watch as he galloped to his first fifty in 10 innings in 28 balls.
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BJP vows to return to power in 2028 in Karnataka, attacks Cong at executive committee meet
Bengaluru (PTI): BJP leaders on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the Congress government in Karnataka and exuded confidence that the party would return to power in the 2028 Assembly elections.
The opposition party in Karnataka also passed four resolutions at its state executive committee meeting at the Palace Grounds here. It includes rampant corruption in the state, misuse of government funds, growing drug menace, agrarian problem and the garbage crisis in Bengaluru.
The party also hailed the Centre for introducing Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajivika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
The executive committee welcomed the Centre's decision to give respect to 'Vande Mataram' song.
Addressing the meeting, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra alleged there was "zero development" in the state and claimed discontent within the ruling party.
"Let us work day and night to restore the BJP’s past glory in Karnataka," Vijayendra said, adding, "A situation has arisen where even MLAs of the ruling party may revolt against the government."
He alleged that law and order had completely deteriorated under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in the state and referred to murders in Surathkal and Yellapur, claiming no compensation had been provided to the families of a Dalit woman in Yellapur and a Dalit man in Koppal.
He further alleged that Mysuru had become a narcotics hub and recalled the rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl during Dasara in the Chief Minister’s home district.
Vijayendra urged party workers to gear up for a series of upcoming elections, including local body polls, GBA elections and Assembly bypolls, and called for grassroots mobilisation to highlight the failures of the Congress government.
Inaugurating the meeting, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said, "This is not merely an organisational meeting but a meeting for introspection."
He described it as a gathering to strengthen the organisation and resolve to remove the corrupt government from power.
Expressing confidence about the party’s prospects, he said the BJP would form the government in Karnataka in 2028 with an overwhelming majority.
He criticised the Congress for the Emergency and alleged that the state had become "corrupt and financially bankrupt", referring to scandals, including MUDA. He also claimed there had been infighting over the Chief Minister’s post from the beginning and that public debt had risen sharply.
BJP National General Secretary and Karnataka in-charge Radha Mohan Das Agarwal said the party's victory in the 2028 Assembly elections was certain and objected to alleged attempts to curb RSS activities in the state.
He accused the government of favouring minorities over Scheduled Castes and termed it a "corrupt government".
Former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who was felicitated for completing 50 years in active politics, called upon party workers to resolve to bring the BJP back to power "on our own strength" and to "uproot the corrupt Congress government".
Former Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda said it was Yediyurappa who had brought the BJP to power in Karnataka for the first time in South India and praised his role in strengthening the party.
Several senior leaders, including Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi, Shobha Karandlaje and V Somanna, and other state leaders were present at the meeting.
