Hyderabad, May 22 (IANS) Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) turned the Uppal Stadium into a six-hitting arena on Friday evening, piling up a mammoth 255/4 against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Match 67 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season.

Powered by blistering knocks from Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, and Heinrich Klaasen, SRH unleashed yet another batting masterclass that left the RCB bowlers gasping for answers.

Batting first, SRH came out with clear intent — attack from ball one. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma wasted no time in taking the fight to the opposition, hammering 45 runs in just four overs. Head looked dangerous during his quickfire 26 off 16 balls before Rasikh Salam finally provided RCB their first breakthrough.

But Abhishek was in no mood to slow down. The left-hander produced a breathtaking 56 off just 22 deliveries, smashing four boundaries and five towering sixes at a staggering strike rate of over 254. His fearless assault ensured SRH raced along at over 11 runs an over in the powerplay. Suyash Sharma eventually ended the carnage in the ninth over with SRH already cruising at 97.

Then came the Ishan Kishan show.

The wicketkeeper-batter blended elegance with brute force in a superb 79 off 46 balls, peppering the boundary ropes with eight fours and three sixes. At the other end, Klaasen continued his reputation as one of the league’s most destructive finishers. The South African star bludgeoned 51 off just 24 balls, launching five massive sixes as the duo tore through RCB’s bowling attack in the middle overs.

Their counterattack sucked the life out of the visitors before Krunal Pandya finally removed Klaasen in the 17th over. However, there was no respite for RCB. Nitish Kumar Reddy added the finishing flourish with an unbeaten 29 off only 12 balls, helping SRH smash 66 runs in the final five overs and surge past the intimidating 250-run mark.

It was a night to forget for RCB’s bowlers, with every single bowler conceding at more than 12 runs per over. Rasikh Salam emerged as the least expensive with figures of 2/52, while Suyash Sharma and Krunal Pandya picked up a wicket apiece. Experienced pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood were taken apart, leaking 51 and 55 runs respectively.

Chasing a colossal 256 on a batting paradise in Hyderabad, RCB now face one of the steepest tests of their IPL 2026 campaign.

Brief scores:

Sunrisers Hyderabad 255/4 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 79, Abhishek Sharma 56, Heinrich Klaasen 51; Rasikh Salam 2-53) v Royal Challengers Bengaluru

–IANS

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