Just like the defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI), Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) grabbed the victory from the jaws of defeat as they restricted Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to 143 and won the match by 6 runs.
Even though the David Warner-led SRH were cruising at one stage, it was RCB’s Shahbaz Ahmed who turned the game around and picked 3 wickets in an over to help his team stay unbeaten in the tournament.
While talking to the broadcasters after the match, Ahmed praised skipper Kohli and thanked him for trusting his abilities.
“It was a tough situation, but I am happy that the captain trusted my ability. There was a bit of help from the surface and I exploited it. I was confident about bowling another over, but Siraj was bowling well and deserved to bowl. Bairstow's catch was important (considering the situation), and I was happy that I got to hold another chance,” the left-arm spinner said.
The dream come true moment for the 26-year-old happened in the 17th over where he picked explosive batsman Jonny Bairstow’s wicket followed by well-set Manish Pandey’s wicket. Even though he did not get a hat-trick, Ahmed dismissed Abdul Samad right after the hat-trick ball.
After losing three wickets in an over, the following SRH batsmen could not get going as the team fell short of the target, losing yet another match in this tournament.
After defeating SRH, Virat Kohli and his men will take the field against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on 18 April in Chennai.
(With Hindustan Times inputs)
