SRH vs RCB: Virat Kohli’s record-equalling hundred takes Royal Challengers Bangalore closer to IPL 2023 playoffs

Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 8 wickets at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday and inched closer to the playoffs of the 2023 Indian Premier League.

The RCB victory was scripted by Virat Kohli’s sixth IPL hundred and a stunning 71 by skipper Faf du Plessis. Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis added 172 for the opening wicket in a chase of 187 in a match they desperately needed to win to stay on course for their fourth successive IPL playoff berth.

Kohli smashed 100 off 63 balls to equal Chris Gayle’s record for most hundreds. This was Kohli’s first hundred in the IPL since 2019 and thanks to that innings, he also crossed the 500-run mark in an IPL season for the first time in five years.

The huge victory over SRH took RCB to No.4 in the 2023 IPL points table and they now face defending champions Gujarat Titans in the last league match of the season on Sunday. GT are already assured of a top spot and became the first team to book a spot in the playoffs.

Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis started sensationally for Royal Challengers Bangalore as they chased 187 to inch closer to the playoffs. Kohli has faced criticism for his strike-rate this season but he announced his intentions with two boundaries in the first two balls off Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

In the next over, Kohli hit Abhishek Sharma for two more boundaries before du Plessis welcomed Kartik Tyagi to the attack with three successive boundaries. In fact, had Glenn Phillips held on to a catch off the second ball of Tyagi’s first over, Sunrisers Hyderabad could have made a major breakthrough.

Faf du Plessis is the current Orange Cap holder and this has been his best year in the IPL. The RCB captain’s wicket is an important one but the dropped chance meant Bhuvneshwar Kumar had to pay the price as well – du Plessis hit him for a six and a four to set the tone for RCB’s chase.

RCB, who brought up their fastest team fifty of the season, raced away to 64 for no loss at the end of their Powerplay. Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis showed great intent with the net run rate set to become crucial as several teams vie for the three remaining playoff spots.

Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis have been brilliant as an opening pair in the 2023 IPL. On Thursday against SRH, the duo brought up their third 100+ opening stand together and took their tournament tally as partners to over 1000 runs. Soon after, both Kohli and du Plessis reached their half-centuries and RCB were on their way to a crushing victory.

Faf du Plessis is now just two runs short of 700 in the 2023 IPL while Virat Kohli crossed the 500-run mark in an IPL season for the first time since 2018. While the victory took RCB closer to another playoff, the highlight of the evening for RCB was Kohli’s 6th IPL hundred which he brought up with a six off Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Kohli’s innings was studded with 12 fours and four sixes.

It was an innings of the highest pedigree – a hundred off 62 balls on a pitch which many thought was not easy to bat on. However, with the NRR issue set to become crucial over the weekend, Kohli attacked from the first ball and was soon joined in by du Plessis. The two added 172 runs for the first wicket off 17.5 overs. Moments after Kohli’s dismissal, Faf du Plessis fell to T Natarajan for 71 off 47 balls but by then, an RCB victory was only a matter of time.

Heinrich Klaasen’s maiden IPL hundred was the highlight of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s 186 for 5 in their penultimate match of the 2023 Indian Premier League after Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Faf du Plessis won the toss and decided to bowl. Abhishek Sharma and Rahul Tripathi were watchful against Mohammed Siraj who has been been excellent in the Powerplay overs. However, both openers were dismissed by Michael Bracewell in the fifth over.

Aiden Markram, the SRH captain, managed only 18 off 20 balls when he should have stepped on the accelerator to support Heinrich Klaasen who seemed to be batting on a different pitch from his colleagues. Klaasen was a bowler’s nightmare on Thursday; nothing worked against the dangerous South African wicketkeeper batter who was determined to make life difficult for RCB with their playoff hopes at stake.

Heinrich Klaasen could not be tied down even as RCB’s spinners picked three key wickets. He pierced the gaps with ease and hit sixes at will to score the second fastest hundred by an SRH batter after David Warner, their former captain. Back in 2017, Warner who now leads Delhi Capitals, had scored a 43-ball hundred against Kolkata Knight Riders. Six years later, Klaasen hit a hundred off 49 balls.

Heinrich Klaasen dealt with the spinners as easily as he did with the pacers and Faf du Plessis could do little to stop his countryman. It wasn’t an easy pitch to bat on but Klaasen’s footwork against the slower bowlers was a lesson for batters to play against spin in the T20 format.

Heinrich Klaasen is now the fifth South African batter after Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock and David Miller to score a hundred in the Indian Premier League. It was one-man show and only Harry Brook did anything of significance for the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Incidentally, Harry Brook had scored a hundred earlier in the season against KKR but he was dropped after a duck against the same opposition in the return fixture at home. Brook returned to the playing XI on Thursday, batted at No.5 and hit an unbeaten 27 off 19 balls. He also added 74-runs for the 4th wicket off 6 overs in a partnership which was dominated by Heinrich Klaasen.

While Michael Bracewell (2 for 13) had a good night with the ball, the stand-out bowler for RCB was Mohammed Siraj who excelled in his hometown with figures of 1 for 17 off 4 overs. He bowled a brilliant final over as SRH looked for big finish, giving away only four runs and picking the wicket of Glenn Phillips.