IPL 2025, RCB vs SRH Cricket Score Highlights: Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 42 runs

Well Pat Cummins picks up two more wickets. Well this has turned sour quite quickly for Bengaluru. To be fair to them they were in the contest even at the second strategic time out but since the runout of Patidar it all fell apart quite quickly. Punjab Kings will be closely monitoring this game.

Eshan Malinga has turned the game on its head here. He has picked up Tim David as well. The Aussie was not in a position to take singles thanks to the injury he sustained in the first innings. He tried to smack a few, but Malinga's slower one did the trick as David got holed out at long-on. What a passage of play this has been for SRH. For the majority of their bowling innings they were behind the contest but in the last 10-15 deliveries they have turned the screws. There have been glimpses through the season of what they can do did but SRH, they just could not get over the line.

Skipper Rajat Patidar has fallen here. It was Eeshan Malinga who inflicted the run out. It was a perfect yorker which Patidar dug out and was trying to steal a single, meanwhile Maling took the ball and threw it at the non-striker end, and the ball hit the stumps. As we update, Malinga has picked up Shepard. It was a slower one from the bowler, which the batter hit straight back to Shepard, and it is a big wicket at this stage of the game. RCB are in a bit of trouble here. Jitesh holds the key for them if they have to get over the line.

This has been a good counterattack from Jitesh since walking in. He has been able to keep up with the tempo from where Salt has left off. SRH, like RCB in the first innings, have been able to create the breakthroughs, but they are unable to keep the pressure on. SRH did have the luxury of set batter batting through the innings, which RCB don't have as they have lost Salt it has to be a chase of cameos from here. One of these two needs to score a 60-run innings or so at a strike rate of over at least 200. As per SRH one more wicket might just create a bit of panic in RCB.

Well, Pat Cummins came back and picked up the most crucial wicket. How often we have seen this from him, doing for both Australia and franchise, he is quite a tricky customer to deal with. It was a delivery wide outside the off which Salt shuffled and tried to whack on the leg-side go the leading edge and Harshal Patel took a simple catch. It will be a very interesting chase from here on for RCB, as there are two new batters. SRH has never had those sorts of issues in the first innings because Ishan Kishan has batted through for SRH till the end and got to the score they have right now.

Pat Cummins has turned to Nitish Kumar Reddy, and he has got the breakthrough. It was a wide delivery from him, which Mayank tried to hit through the covers, got the edge, and the ball carried to the keeper. That is a pretty good wicket for SRH under the circumstances; however, danger man Salt is still in the middle, which is the wicket SRH would want. Rajat Patidar has walked into the middle with requiring about 12 runs in over, and one good thing with Patidar is he is not going to waste too many deliveries as we update, Cummins himself comes back into the attack, which is an excellent move.

Despite the wicket, not much has changed for RCB in terms of scoring rate. Salt is playing a pretty good hand. He started to play the aggressor role after the wicket of Kohli. As we update, he has hit a boundary to bring up his half-century. SRH's bowling has been quite clueless today. They have had their moments, but for the majority of it, they have been all over it. It might be too early in the game but it does seem like one of either Unadkat or Cummins need to come into the attack to bowl an over to try and create the breakthrough in the middle.

Left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey has picked up the first wicket here for Hyderabad. It was a wide delivery which Kohli tried to cut through the point however, the ball seemed to have bounced more than he expected and ended up giving a simple catch to point inside the ring. He did his job, though did Kohli, this is a pretty fine start for him. Mayank Agarwal has walked into the middle. He has been out of the action for a while and is coming into the season at a pretty crunchy time. Though they have qualified for the playoffs Mayank must play to give some confidence to the team and himself too.

This is a cracking innings from Kohli. He has been batting as freely as he can and is striking at almost 200. This was the approach needed from RCB today if they had to get these runs. While there is still a long way to go but this is a stunning start. SRH after the first innings did look in a bit of control, but this powerplay has completely gone in the wrong direction. There just seems to be one plan of bowling back-of-the-length and hope something would come out of it, while there have been a few plays and misses, most of them have gone over the boundary. We do have a chase on our hands folks, do stay with.

The first one was when Kohli pulled one on the leg-side and could have been taken if the fielder was right on the boundary; however, Nitish was a few meters in from the rope and made a mess of that opportunity. And Next Harshal Patel slipped in one of his dipping deliveries, which Salt hit straight to the field at mid-wicket; however, the decision was checked, and it was deemed a no-ball. Amidst all the chaos, Kohli is playing a lovely knock here. RCB would want Salt to step and go after the bowling here. Only that way can they breach the par powerplay total.

Kohli has started quite brightly here. While Salt has been struggling to get into some sort of rhythm, Kohli has found it quite easy to get a few boundaries here first up initially. However, the problem with the target they are chasing is that both players need to get going in the power play. They have to extract at least 80 runs out of this phase so that they won't get into any pickle in the final stages of the game with a softer ball. They do have hitters, but time and again we have seen on this ground, it might be a chasing ground, but when teams end up massive totals it gets very hard with skewed boundaries.

Pat Cummins has taken the new ball for SRH, and there is no moment. There was a bit of seam moment on offer for Dayal in the first innings when he bowled back-of-length, but that did stop quite quickly. Cummins here on the other hand, has not been able to get anything. It is one of those surfaces that play well for the seamers when the ball gets old, especially with those like Cummins and Unadkat who have some sharp variations. As per the sub, SRH has brought in Harsh Dubey. On the other hand, it will be interesting to see how Kohli and Salt will go in this powerplay.

I think when we (Head and himself) played the first over, we thought we got one of the best pitches this year. Somewhere we have to look out for our small mistakes. We need to take responsibility and take it till the end. Head and I we were looking forward to scoring a total of 230-240 only. We had a plan and we were going to go after it (throughout the innings). The score is good. I think it was pending from his (Kishan's) side. He was talking about this. This score is because of Kishan only, the way he played was tremendous. Let's see what Pat Cummins thinks today (whether Abhishek is required to bowl)

It is 25-30 too many what SRH has got here, while there are bowlers whose economy would show they have not bowled well, but the real culprits were the spinners through the middle overs, who have let the game drift away with some ordinary bowling. While it was a stunning innings from Kishan, he did get a lot of freebies through the middle overs to punish. RCB is a team like GT who have aspirations to get to top two like we saw yesterday with GT their bowling looked ordinary, and it has been the same today for RCB and the concerning part is the stage at these flaws are coming out. Do join for the chase.

Ngidi is done, he bowled a few good slower ones which the batter could not pick and ended up skiing; however, both times they could not end the gallop, the opportunity. This is a big score for SRH. Ishan Kishan has played a gem of an innings. As we update David after stopping a ball, is walking off seems like he has injured something here.

Shepard has just found the right length for this wicket. He has been mixing up his pace nicely, and he picked up the wicket of Abhinav Manohar. It was a surprise bumper and the batter tried to take in the longer direction of the boundary and got holed out at mid-wicket. RCB has pulled back things quite well here in the last few overs. It was Suyash Sharma's over that was the last big over. Since then there has been a regular boundary, but there has not been any big over which would go over 20 runs. How much SRH will get from here will entirely depend on Ishan Kishan.

That was a clever bumper from Shepard to pick the wicket of Nitish. He has been in poor form this season is Nitish and while he was trying to get adjusted to the pace of the wicket he did get himself out playing a shot which was on, but he managed to end up giving the catch straight to fine-leg inside the ring. RCB have kept picking wickets, but they have not been able to contain runs; every batter apart from Nitish has come in and played a cameo. Ishan Kishan has held it together nicely as well. We are looking at a chase around 220 for RCB in the second innings, which is quite an ask on any wicket.

Ishan Kishan has got to his half-century here. That is a welcome score for him. It was the first game of the campaign against the Rajasthan Royals. He scored a ton, and since then, he has been quiet. It is good that he has hit some form today, especially considering this is a three-year cycle and he might have to come back again next season. RCB, on the other hand, have turned to Romario Shepard, which is a good move, but it just seems like it has come a over too late This should have happened around 10-12 over mark, just as a variation, but now it is more about damage control. As we update Shepard picked up Nitish.

Krunal Pandya has picked up the wicket of Aniket Verma, who was threatening to pull off this game in the first innings, not to say it is going to be any easier for Bengaluru to get whatever SRH gets from here to chase, but Aniket Verma, the way he was hitting 240, was looking in range. As per the wicket, it was a good pace variation from Krunal who tried to work the ball on the leg-side and got the leading edge to the fielder in the ring. Nitish Reddy has walked into the middle and this has not gone to plan for RCB especially spinners both of them they just could not find the accuracy on the evening they tried too many things and ended up inaccurate.

SRH with the start they have got here, they need to be able to get 210 at least. We have seen that this pitch gets difficult for batting as the ball gets slower however, we have seen no such signs so far. It might not be a bad option for Jitesh Sharma to consider bringing in Romario Shepard for a spell. Suyash Sharma, though has picked up the wicket of Klaasen he has been pretty ordinary with his lines and lengths. While it is good to show confidence in the youngster, RCB still has a game to win. It was Cameron Green who would come and bowl a spell last season at this phase and the RCB today might consider Shepard for a spell here.

This is a nice partnership between Kishan and Klaasen after the initial assault from the openers. Bengaluru has also bowled quite poorly thus far. We have seen Rajat Patidar being quite sharp with his bowling changes, we have to see what Jitesh does here. So far, he has been going through the motions, which is using seamers in the powerplay and spinners after it, but Suyash here is going for a few, and it will be interesting to see when he brings back his seamers into the attack or what he does with Suyash. He is just not looking rhythm thus far, Suyash, and it needs to be sorted as Klaasen is someone who can pummel the spinner for over 20 without any mercy if he were to miss his mark. As we update Suyash picks Klaasen.

Well, SRH is in no mood to take it slow and build a partnership here. Henrich Klaasen is going after the bowling here in the middle. Suyah Sharma has been brought into the attack after the powerplay and Klaasen has got hold of him. Kishan at the other end, too, is looking to go after the bowling. Bengaluru has to think here about what they want to do because this is a very good start for SRH, and it is looking like they are going to put an overpowering score. There is still quite a bit of batting left to come as well. Since Klaasen has been promoted to four, SRH batting has started to look different.

Well, that's how the game goes. RCB has plucked out both the openers since our last update. First, it was Abhishek Sharma who flicked one straight to square-leg of a delivery from Ngidi, and then Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled a knuckle ball which Head did not pick and hit it straight to the mid-off fielder. Just as we were seeing the signs of 2024 SRH as openers were flying, the 2025 RCB have pulled them down. Ishan Kishan and Klaasen are in the middle and the need of the hour is a partnership more than anything. They have got a good start, and this is not a 240 wicket; anything around 200 will be a decent total on this ground.

Abhishek Sharma is looking in sublime touch. He played one through the covers and six down the ground, both hitting the sweet spot of the bat. He did play a blitzkrieg innings in the previous game as well against Lucknow Super Giants, and it seems like he is carrying the form into this game. This is a new ball wicket at this ground. Regardless of what soil is used, it has always behaved in such a way, and both Sunrisers Hyderabad openers don't need a second invitation to make the most of the powerplay, and today the conditions support that kind of tactics.

Yash Dayal has taken the new ball for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. There seems to be a bit of seam movement on offer in the surface. Usually, it is Bhuvenshwar Kumar who takes the first over always, but it seems like the choice has been taken as SRH has two left-handed openers, and it must have something to do with the skewed boundaries. As per SRH, with Travis Head returning to the mix, they will be looking to make the most of this powerplay, as we have seen at this venue too many times, as the ball gets older and softer, batting gets quite hard and tricky. 

I think midway through this tournament is to achieve the top two, these are two important games for us, we will try to get into the top two if possible. It has been a welcome change, the boys are fresh, ready to go, in between a tournament like this with this kind of intensity, it can get tiring especially at the backend of the tournament, this break has come so we embrace it with both hands. Rajat has had his time to recover, it’s a big positive, on the other hand, we lost Dev (Padikkal) but he couldn’t be fit, we miss him but we got Mayank and he is a talent, he has been there in the tournament since many years so looking forward to see him in action. (On 7 different players getting MOM award for them) Very proud of that (record), it’s great when you have different people stepping up at different times. (On Virat’s retirement from Test cricket) It came as a shock to the outside world, so we just observing what Virat is up to, he is at his happiest best now, he is enjoying the sport, he is really wanting to spend his time with his family. It’s a personal decision, we respect it and as everyone else, oh this is happening but the fact is it’s great to see him happy and ready whenever we want him to play. The key is to keep him in good spirits.

We are on pitch no. 4 in Lucknow. The square boundaries are 60m and 67m respectively, 74m down the ground. The surface is quite dark in colour. There's a decent matting of grass on it, patchy in places. It's very dry, hence the ball will grip in the surface. Spinners will enjoy bowling here. The pacers can take pace off the ball and expect it to hold in the surface, they might get some assistance. Teams love chasing here, so need to get 180-plus if you bat here. The bias is towards batting second and chase. It's a wicket where you can't play through the line. The opposition might make some mistakes if they go hard at the top. A pitch where 180-odd is a gettable total.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Impact Subs: Rajat Patidar, Rasikh Dar Salam Manoj Bhandage, Swapnil Singh

Sunrisers Hyderabad Impact Subs: Mohammad Shami, Harsh Dubey, Sachin Baby, Zeeshan Ansari, Simarjeet Singh.

Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarawal, Jitesh Sharma(w/c), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Lungi Ngidi, Suyash Sharma

Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Abhinav Manohar, Pat Cummins(c), Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga

We have shown some good signs in the last few games. We are building our team for the next season. We need to play more consistently. We need to be at our best. Last game we chased down 200 comfortably. I have been bowling with Shami and preparing for upcoming Test cricket. We would have bowled, not sure how it will play. We have three changes. Travis Head is back, Abhinav Manohar and Unadkat are back as well..

It's my first time captaining RCB. I captained PBKS against SRH last year. We are thinking to bowl first, want to take most of the surface from the moisture. We are looking forward to finish the league on top of the table and enter the playoffs. The management has taken care of the players. We have a good atmosphere and culture. We want to win every game and win the cup. Rajat Patidar is the impact player. Mayank comes in for Padikkal.

After their disastrous 2017-2019 seasons, RCB has bounced back post-pandemic, making the playoffs in four of the last five seasons since 2020. This season, the Rajat Patidar-led side is effectively in the final four, and a win against KKR would mathematically confirm their spot. As in their best seasons, Virat Kohli remains central to their success, leading their run-scoring with 505 runs at a strike rate of 143.47.

Virat Kohli's otherwise stellar career lacks a league title, a fact highlighted by three painful IPL final losses, especially the 2016 defeat at home. That narrow eight-run loss, despite his record 973 runs, still haunts him and others, underscoring the deep disappointment of their missed victory.

Virat Kohli, now focused solely on RCB after retiring from Test and T20I cricket, shares a long-standing, dependable bond with the team. Winning the IPL is likely his last major career goal, and his immense popularity is driving massive fan turnout and excitement for Saturday's match, as supporters hope to see him finally claim the elusive title.

Nitish Kumar Reddy's recent international success, including a Man of the Match T20I performance against Bangladesh (74 off 34 balls, 2/23) and a Test century against Australia in the Boxing Day Test, set high expectations for his current IPL season with SRH. However, he has underperformed, and despite his adaptable game, needs to start converting his promise into concrete performances for the team.

At just 21, Nitish Kumar Reddy has displayed a maturity beyond his years, not only with his wide range of shots but also his ability to construct innings and navigate challenging situations. Last IPL season, a prime example was his unbeaten 76 off 42 balls against the Rajasthan Royals when Sunrisers Hyderabad was reeling at 35/2. This innings showcased his rebuilding prowess, organically laying a strong foundation for the subsequent batters.

These impressive abilities even earned Nitish an Indian T20I call-up last October, where he featured in the middle order against Bangladesh, despite a relatively mediocre domestic batting record for Visakhapatnam.

An ideal Nitish Kumar Reddy innings, as previously demonstrated, involves a strategic blend of caution and aggression. He prioritizes building partnerships through smart, hard running between the wickets during the middle overs. During this foundational phase, he avoids high-risk shots and instead uses his unique ability to hit behind the square of the wicket, which serves as his go-to shot to upset the bowlers' rhythm and prevent them from dominating. Once this stable base is established, he then fully unleashes his power, hitting gigantic sixes all around the ground.

Batting at number four in T20s is tough, and this IPL season, only a few players like Suryakumar Yadav, Rajat Patidar, and KL Rahul have excelled consistently. While SRH's top order can be explosive when it fires, their middle order, including expected "crisis man" Nitish Kumar Reddy, has often failed to deliver competitive totals, leading to struggles in most of their games.

Nitish Kumar Reddy is having a poor IPL season, with his batting struggles mirroring Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) overall decline. Under pressure to stabilize innings, he has abandoned his usual aggressive style, contributing to SRH's shift from hyper-aggressive cricket to a more adaptive approach.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) faced significant bowling challenges this season, particularly from their seamers. Mohammed Shami had a forgettable season, while both Pat Cummins and Harshal Patel were inconsistent. Young Simarjeet Singh also struggled to translate his potential into performance. This lack of form from their pacers severely hampered SRH's bowling options during the crucial powerplay and death overs, especially on the flatter Hyderabad pitches. The team even tried Eeshan Malinga, which further weakened their already struggling batting lineup as he replaced Mendis.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) struggled to find a consistent fourth overseas player this season. After Abhishek Sharma's bowling didn't click and Adam Zampa got injured, they tried Wiaan Mulder without success. They then brought in Kamindu Mendis, hoping he'd fill the all-round void left by Shahbaz Ahmed from last season, but despite some promise, Mendis couldn't salvage their games.

Last IPL season, Shahbaz Ahmed was a quiet but crucial all-rounder for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He delivered quick fixes with both bat and ball, especially in Qualifier II, scoring 215 runs and taking 7 wickets, effectively bridging the batting and bowling units. This season (2025), SRH missed his "crisis man" role, struggling without his depth at the lower order and his contributions as a second spinner.

Lucknow's weather for the match will be hot, with morning temperatures around 37°C dropping to 27°C in the evening. There's no rain expected, but dew is predicted to be a factor, likely influencing the toss-winning captain to choose to bowl first.

Lucknow pitches favor slower bowlers and pacers who bowl cutters. The ground can use either red or black soil, allowing teams to adjust their lineup with an extra spinner or seamer based on the pitch chosen.

Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Jacob Bethell, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma

Atharva Taide, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Kamindu Mendis, Aniket Verma, Nitish Reddy, Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel, Harsh Dubey, Zeeshan Ansari, Eshan Malinga

Like a happy old couple, Virat Kohli and Royal Challengers Bengaluru have celebrated the good days and survived the bad ones through 18 summers of the Indian Premier League, the essence of their longevity being stability and dependability, rather than blind, flawless love. Now that he has retired from Test cricket and T20Is, his international duties restricted to ODIs, infrequently calendared, Kohli is all RCB’s. And winning the IPL could be the last big battle Kohli would wage in a glorious career.

The love for him overflows and overwhelms. Hundreds turned up to watch him bat in the nets when he returned to the Chinnaswamy on Thursday, before the match against Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday. Thousands, it is widely rumoured, might turn up in white Kohli shirts, an ode to his Test career. Saturday Night Fever would play out at the Chinnaswamy without a break. Traffic snarls would be endless. All to cheer Kohli to fulfil his elusive dream of the IPL crown.

READ MORE FROM SANDIP G

“I have a feeling about RCB this year. I’ll tell you why, because of Rajat Patidar! His leadership in the last couple of games has been f*****g unbelievable! It has been so good!” Uthappa said on The KimAppa show with cricket analyst Jarrod Kimber.

“What I love about Patidar is proactiveness and the calmness in which he exercises his proactiveness. It’s so cool to see someone who’s leading a team for the first time on the IPL stage exercise the level of calm that he has exercised, right. He’s not reactive. He’s trusting the the processes.”

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• Matches played: 24
• RCB won: 11
• SRH won: 12
• Tied : 1
• No Result: 0
• Last result: RCB won by 35 runs (April, 2024)

Gujarat Titans’ chances of finishing in the top two took a major dent on Thursday after they lost to the Lucknow Super Giants by 33 runs. However, they still continue to lead the points table with with 18 points, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings both have 17 points. These three teams have secured a spot for the playoffs and MI joined them on Wednesday.

“I had a lot of questions like, there are so many (big players) in the team. Kohli is such a big player. how will you do it under him? I know how supportive he is about this (captaincy change),” Patidar recalled speaking on the RCB podcast. “I knew I had his full support. Like I said, this is a learning for me, it’s an opportunity for me. So, I will learn as much as I can from him. Because no one has the experience and ideas that he has in every role — be it batting, as an individual and as a captain,” said Patidar.

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RCB: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Jacob Bethell, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam, Yash Dayal,

• Impact Sub: Suyash Sharma

SRH: Atharva Taide, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Kamindu Mendis, Aniket Verma, Nitish Reddy, Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel, Harsh Dubey, Zeeshan Ansari.

• Impact Sub: Eshan Malinga

How to watch the Live Telecast of the RCB vs SRH match on television?

• Fans in India can watch the live telecast of the RCB vs SRH match on Star Sports network

Which platform will live stream RCB vs SRH match?

• Viewers can watch the live stream of the RCB vs SRH match on the JioHotstar app and website

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarawal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Blessing Muzarabani, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Dar Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Liam Livingstone, Swapnil Singh, Philip Salt, Mohit Rathee, Swastik Chikara, Abhinandan Singh, Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thushara.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Kamindu Mendis, Pat Cummins(c), Harshal Patel, Harsh Dubey, Zeeshan Ansari, Eshan Malinga, Mohammed Shami, Atharva Taide, Sachin Baby, Abhinav Manohar, Simarjeet Singh, Jaydev Unadkat, Travis Head, Wiaan Mulder, Rahul Chahar, Smaran Ravichandran.

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the Indian Premier League 2025 match on Saturday between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad from the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. Although the clash can be considered a dead rubber since all four teams for the playoffs have already been decided, the match could mean a lot more in a larger perspective for RCB, who are looking to confirm their top-two spot, which gives teams a second chance to qualify for the finals. 

Stay tuned as we build-up and bring you all the live updates from this match-up.