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Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) finished their league stage of the IPL 2026 with a 55-run win over the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Friday, May 22.

After posting a solid total of 255/4, thanks to brilliant fifties by Ishan Kishan (79), Abhishek Sharma (57), and Heinrich Klaasen (51), and a quickfire cameo knock by Nitish Kumar Reddy (29*), the hosts restricted the visitors to 200/5 in 20 overs, despite valiant efforts by Rajat Patidar, who scored a fifty, and Krunal Pandya, who scored a fiery 41-run knock.

Eshan Malinga led the bowling attack with figures of 2/33 at an economy rate of 8.20 in his spell of four overs. Sakib Hussain (1/31) and Travis Head (1/7) picked up a wicket each to restrict the visitors and secure a comprehensive win on home soil.

SRH Batters Dominate RCB Bowling Attack

The SRH captain Pat Cummins’s decision to bat first paid off as the explosive opening duo of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma took on the RCB bowlers from the word. The pair provided a fiery start to the hosts’ innings, racing to 45/0 in just 3.5 overs before Head’s dismissal for 26.

Thereafter, Abhishek was joined by Ishan Kishan at the crease, with whom he formed a 52-run stand for the second wicket before the opener’s dismissal at 97/2. After Abhishek Sharma’s wicket, Ishan and Heinrich Klaasen stitched together a phenomenal 113-run partnership for the third wicket to completely take the game away from the visitors.

6️⃣ 4️⃣ 6️⃣ wd wd 6️⃣ ❗#HeinrichKlaasen takes on #JoshHazlewood for 27 runs as #SRH step on the accelerator! #TATAIPL Race to Playoffs 2026 #SRHvRCB | LIVE NOW ➡️https://t.co/52qPTW2gSO pic.twitter.com/Ao5rCdvde4

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) May 22, 2026

The duo frustrated the RCB bowlers to such an extent that they simply ran out of answers on a flat Hyderabad track. From 97/2 in 8.2 overs to 210/2 in 16.2 overs, SRH cruised along at a breathtaking scoring rate, leaving the fielding side thoroughly deflated. As Ishan and Klaasen were looking to further their partnership, Krunal Pandya stepped in and dismissed the South African batter at 210/4.

Abhishek . Ishan . Klaasen .#RCB kept searching for control… #SRH kept finding boundaries #TATAIPL Race to Playoffs 2026 #SRHvRCB | LIVE NOW ➡️https://t.co/52qPTW2gSO pic.twitter.com/fDrwAB7g6X

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) May 22, 2026

After Heinrich Klaasen’s dismissal, Ishan Kishan was joined by Nitish Kumar Reddy at the crease. The southpaw was a second fiddle to Nitish, who wasted no time in taking the attack to the opposition. In their 45-run partnership, Nitish Reddy scored 29 off 11 balls, while Ishan scored 13 off 10 balls, before being dismissed by Sakib Hussain on the final ball of the innings.

‘’ from ball one! #NitishKumarReddy smashed back-to-back sixes off his first two balls, providing the finishing fury to #SRH’s push for the Top 2! #TATAIPL Race to Playoffs 2026 #SRHvRCB | LIVE NOW ➡️https://t.co/52qPTW2gSO pic.twitter.com/i0Ma3WxOFX

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) May 22, 2026

At the end of 10 overs, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s scoring rate was standing at a blistering 11.20 runs per over, before surpassing the 12-run mark by the end of the innings. In the last 10 overs, SRH scored 139 for two wickets at a blistering pace of 13.90, which effectively put the match completely out of reach for Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

RCB’s Valiant Effort in Vain

Chasing a 256-run target set by SRH, RCB openers Venkatesh Iyer and Virat Kohli provided a fiery start to the visitors, racing to 60/0 in 4.2 overs before the former’s dismissal for 44 at 60/1. Thereafter, Virat Kohli was joined by Devdutt Padikkal at the crease to carry on RCB’s run chase.

However, Kohli’s stay at the crease ended soon as he was dismissed for 15 runs by Sakib Hussain at 74/2, before the RCB further collapsed to 94/3 following the quick departure of Devdutt Padikkal, who was dismissed for 21. However, skipper Rajat Patidar (56) and Krunal Pandya revived the hopes of the visitors’ chasing down the target through their 84-run stand for the fourth wicket.

Catch dropped ➡️ BoundaryRajat Patidar is riding his luck tonight!Updates ▶️ https://t.co/ZcxjefgalG#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #SRHvRCB | @RCBTweets pic.twitter.com/EdQIFiHzvC

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 22, 2026

TOP 2 confirmed for #RCB! ✅By surpassing 165-run mark with this boundary, the defending champions have secured a berth in Qualifier 1! #TATAIPL Race to Playoffs 2026 #SRHvRCB | LIVE NOW ➡️https://t.co/52qPTW2gSO pic.twitter.com/d1ZT8DPTIM

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) May 22, 2026

As Patidar and Krunal were looking dangerous and threatening to pull off a miraculous heist, the former was dismissed by Travis Head at 178/4. At the time of the RCB skipper’s dismissal, the visitors’ required run rate was touching an astronomical 24 runs per over, making the target an impossible mountain to climb.

In the last two overs, Krunal Pandya and Tim David tried to swing for the fences to narrow the margin of defeat, but the mountain was simply too high to climb. With 48 runs required off the final 12 deliveries, SRH's death-bowling unit completely shut the door on any miraculous comeback.

. Who will seal the final spot?! #RR, #PBKS, #KKR or #DC - who’s joining the party? #TATAIPL pic.twitter.com/DUgH20YJ4I

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) May 22, 2026

Despite a 55-run defeat, RCB managed to finish the league stage as table toppers and secure Qualifier 1 spot, as SRH failed to restrict the visitors within the required margin to overtake their Net Run Rate (NRR). Royal Challengers Bengaluru will face Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1, while Sunrisers Hyderabad will lock horns with the fourth-place team in the Eliminator.