- May 24, 2025
Calling all RCB supporters—grab a chair, because this story isn’t for the faint-hearted. Bangalore were firmly in control – they were at 173 for 3 and cruising in the 16th over, with Patidar and Sheppard looking settled, and then, out of nowhere, it happened. Six balls. One fierce burst from Malinga. Suddenly, RCB’s path to the playoffs looked like a riddle wrapped in a mystery. It is the sort of thing you come to expect from the IPL, but that doesn’t make it any less painful.
RCB’s Middle-Order Meltdown
When you’re cruising along at almost 11 runs an over, you think the engine is running just fine. But cricket, as we know it, doesn’t forgive lazy discretion; RCB’s middle-order must not have read the memo. With a bedrock laid down by Kohli and Patidar, the subsequent batting effort exhibited just about all of the over-hitting and none of the under-thinking you can find in the world of cricket. But when there was danger to the innings at this late stage, the RCB middle-order could not even think “partnership” (which you should be thinking about, especially at the back end of an innings
Rajat Patidar getting run-out felt like a gut punch, and Sheppard’s wicket in the very next over? Well, that twisted the knife a little. Unbelievably, back-to-back wickets came in the 16th, and at that point, RCB was looking to go big, not to get two wickets. Anil said it best: RCB didn’t have those “five-ball or eight-ball partnerships” that tend to rotate strike, and set up the brilliant finish.
The Over That Broke the Chase
So let’s talk about the man of the moment, Eshan Malinga. If there was a time for a young fast bowler to make an impact, it was now. With the pressure on, and Bangalore still eyeing 200, Malinga stepped it up! This over was incredibly tight- clinical. Dot balls, variations, and that odd ability to feel the batter’s next move. And most importantly, wickets.
There is no better timing for his spell. He didn’t just stem the run flow; he put them enough psychological pressure that even seasoned hitters looked like they were second-guessing themselves. That over, the 18th? All it’s Malinga. From that moment on, RCB did not resemble a team seeking to get to 200, they resembled a team who were trying to just limp to 180. An over of that nature is rare enough to change the tone of a full match, but Malinga made it look easy.
Sunrisers’ Big Picture: Retentions, Momentum, and a Little Bit of Luck
Two wins in a row not only give you points, but you get belief as well. Sunrisers Hyderabad cannot be unhappy about where they are currently in the season. The management will be happy (not just because of the win) but also because their retention pathway is getting clearer. Especially Ishan Kishan, who resolved the issues with any doubt, while taking a mature approach to batting. No wild swings in the beginning, just smart cricket, then clean hitting once he figured out his matchup.
The bench of SRH has also done a very good job stepping up. With big names like Tim David likely finished for the season, the requirement of a team being able to adapt and see good players like Livingston coming in and play their role smoothly will be crucial.
So the big question is, can RCB recover and learn from this, or does this result hang over their campaign like a wound they can’t get away from? Let us know in the comments—your top two for the playoffs?
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