Royal Challengers Bengaluru finished atop the IPL 2026 table despite their 55-run defeat at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Friday as RCB made 200 runs in their chase of 256 to avoid sliding down the table.
RCB skipper Rajat Patidar’s half-century ensured that the holders would finish in the top of the table and seal their berth in the first qualifier of the playoffs.
“Obviously their top five batters played really well and they dominated throughout. The slower balls were gripping a bit but they executed really well,” Patidar said.
“Hyderabad is a good wicket but when you bowl slower balls into the wicket and it’s tough for batters. They executed the slower bouncers and yorkers pretty well.”
“Top priority was to be at the top,” he stated.
SRH piled up a formidable 256-run target on the back of fluent half-centuries from Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Heinrich Klaasen, then restricted RCB to 200, rendering Rajat Patidar’s fifty meaningless in the final outcome.
Having won the toss, Sunrisers chose to bat. Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head got them off to a typically brisk start, racing to 45 for the first wicket inside just 4 overs before the Australian was dismissed by Rashik Salam for a 16-ball 26.
Ishan Kishan replaced the departing Head and put on 52 runs for the second wicket with Abhishek, who brought up a rapid half-century before falling to Suyash Sharma for a blazing 56 off 22 balls.
Kishan then forged an even bigger partnership with Heinrich Klaasen, adding 113 runs as both batters reached their fifties. Klaasen’s explosive stay ended when Krunal Pandya removed him after a 24-ball 51.
Kishan carried his bat, finishing unbeaten on 79 from 46 deliveries, while Nitish Kumar Reddy contributed a quickfire 29 off 12. Together, they powered SRH to 255 in their allotted 20 overs.
Chasing a daunting target, RCB openers Virat Kohli and Venkatesh Iyer launched the reply with a rapid 60-run stand, with Iyer doing most of the scoring. Eshan Malinga broke the partnership by dismissing Iyer for 44, after which Shakib Hussain accounted for Kohli for 15 off 11. Devdutt Padikkal chipped in with 21 from 14 balls before Malinga struck again.
Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya then steadied the innings, with the captain registering a half-century and the left-hander adding 41. Patidar’s 56 off 39 ended when Travis Head removed him, and Tim David remained unbeaten on 15 alongside Pandya as RCB closed on 200. Their effort, however, fell 55 runs short of SRH’s imposing total.
