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Stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma had no hesitation in admitting that Royal Challengers Bengaluru were thoroughly outplayed by Sunrisers Hyderabad in their 42-run defeat at the Ekana Stadium on Friday. 

 

Chasing a daunting 232-run target, RCB managed 189 in 19.5 overs, despite fiery starts from openers Phil Salt and Virat Kohli. Reflecting on the game, Jitesh credited SRH’s dominant batting performance, while also pointing out his team’s lack of intent in the first half of the match.

 

“I think it was 20-30 runs extra. They played very well. I didn't have any answers for their attack. We were rusty. The intensity was not there initially,” Jitesh said at the post-match presentation.

 

RCB’s bowlers, barring Romario Shepherd’s economical spell (2-14 in 2 overs), struggled to contain the SRH batters. Ishan Kishan’s unbeaten 94 off 48 balls set the tone, with late fireworks from Aniket Verma (26 off 9) and Pat Cummins (13* off 6) propelling SRH to 231/6.

 

While RCB’s chase started brightly with Salt (62 off 32) and Kohli (43 off 25), the middle order collapsed under pressure, losing six wickets for just 16 runs between the 11th and 18th over.

 

“In the death, we were bowling more accurately. Right now, I haven't met David because I was upset I got out. Sometimes losing a game is a very good sign because you can check and analyse,” Jitesh added.

 

He tried to look at the positives, stating that the team would regroup after this wake-up call.

 

“The positive things are that everyone's chipping in. After this loss, we've got a setback to check [things] again. We'll move forward.”

 

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RCB slip to third as injuries mount ahead of playoffs

 

With their latest defeat, Royal Challengers Bengaluru have dropped to third on the points table, having won 8 of their so far. While they have already qualified for the playoffs, a top-two finish will now require more than just a win, they’ll need a convincing margin in their final league game to boost their net run rate.

 

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Currently, Gujarat Titans lead the standings with 9 wins from 13 matches, while Punjab Kings sit in second with 8 wins from just 12 games. The equation puts additional pressure on RCB, who are at risk of missing out on a top-two finish.

 

To make matters worse, the team is battling availability issues at a crucial juncture. Key overseas players Lungi Ngidi and Jacob Bethell will return to national duty. In response, RCB have roped in Blessing Muzarabani and Tim Seifert as replacements.

 

Josh Hazlewood's fitness and availability remain another concern, with the Australian pacer likely to join the team ahead of the knockout stages. Without him and Ngidi, RCB's pace attack will rely heavily on the likes of Yash Dayal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to regroup and deliver in pressure situations.

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