Royal Challengers Bangalore have lost 6 matches in this IPL. But the last defeat was the real defeat.
After failing to reach the final once in 2016, the team had to go closer again and return empty handed. This time Sunrisers Hyderabad dismissed Kohli Bahini from the eliminator round.
Hyderabad beat Bangalore by 7 wickets in the eliminator round match played at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Friday. Batting first, Bangalore scored 131 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. In reply, Hyderabad won with 2 balls in hand.
Hyderabad lost opener Srivastava Goswami (0) early in the chase. After that, captain Warner handled the push with a pair of 41 runs with Manish Pandey. Despite careful batting, the Aussie opener could not last long. Before the Bengal pacer Siraj was bowled out, he hit 16 off 16 balls. Manish Pandey (24) could not extend the innings.
Ken Williamson was showing Hyderabad the way after losing 3 wickets for 55 runs. Sometimes Priyam Garg was out for 6 runs but Jason Holder came and took the helm. Williamson and Holder's unbroken partnership eventually led Hyderabad to victory. The Kiwi captain was selected as the best of the match with an unbeaten innings of 55 off 44 balls. Holder played an effective innings of 24 runs off 20 balls.
Earlier, Bangalore lost two openers Virat Kohli (7) and Devdut Padikkal (1) for 15 runs. Both the wickets go to the holder. The Caribbean all-rounder later took the wicket of Shivab Dubey. Despite not getting a wicket, Afghan spinner Rashid Khan played a big role by spending only 22 runs in 4 overs.
The exceptions to the batting failures of the rest of the team were AB de Villiers and Aaron Finch from Bangalore. The two of them handled the initial push together. However, the Aussie captain (32) left the team with 57 runs and picked up a catch off Nadeem. At the other end, de Villiers continued to keep the run wheel in motion. When the rest joined the procession, he also left under pressure. However, he played an innings of 56 off 43 balls before leaving the last ball of the 16th over.
They started their 11th match in the league with a loss to Chennai Super Kings. From then on, the continuous defeat of Bangalore started. As a result, despite losing 4 matches in a row, the team got a place in the play-offs from the fourth place due to the previous victories. However, like every time, their dream was shattered. Super Man de Villiers is still as devastating as ever, but the ups and downs of Kohli's form have outweighed the team.
On the other hand, in the case of Hyderabad, the situation is just the opposite. The team won four matches in a row. Warners have never gone astray in these four matches.
Williamson stood up in response to de Villiers in the match that sent Bangalore away. De Villiers has tried a lot to pull Bangalore, but in the end the Kiwi captain's innings proved effective.
Hyderabad will take on Delhi Capitals in the final on Sunday (November 8).