A Royal Challengers Bengaluru supporter stole the spotlight during his team's win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Thursday, April 25th. In a video circulating widely online, the RCB fan can be seen directing the now-famous "silence" gesture towards the passionate SRH crowd at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
The fan's gesture, a playful jab at the silenced home crowd, has become one of the most viral moments from the thrilling IPL encounter.
Talking about the match, RCB revived their faint playoff hopes in the IPL 2024 with a convincing 35-run victory over SRH. RCB posted a competitive 206 on the board, thanks to fifties from Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar, along with a late cameo of 37 from 20 balls by Cameron Green.
SRH's chase faltered early as Will Jacks dismissed the in-form Travis Head in the first over. While Abhishek Sharma (31 off 13 balls) provided some initial spark, Swapnil Singh's crucial wickets of Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen pegged them back. Karn Sharma further stifled the chase by dismissing Nitish Reddy and Abdul Samad. Despite skipper Pat Cummins and Shahbaz Ahmed's valiant efforts (40 runs), Green dismissed Cummins to effectively end Hyderabad's hopes. SRH were restricted to 171 for 8 in their 20 overs.
The 207-run target seemed manageable considering SRH's strong batting lineup this season, with players like Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, and Heinrich Klaasen known for their aggressive approach. Notably, they had set the IPL record for the highest total in the previous meeting against RCB. However, the pressure of chasing proved too much for the Hyderabad batsmen at home. Head's early dismissal and rash shots from Sharma and Klaasen hampered their momentum. While Cummins offered some late resistance, the rest of the batting lineup faltered.
Swapnil Singh and Karn Sharma were the standout performers for RCB with two wickets each. Cameron Green's all-around performance, with both runs and a crucial wicket, will also be a boost for the team as they look to keep their playoff hopes alive.
This victory snapped RCB's six-match losing streak. It also highlighted SRH's struggles in chases exceeding 200 runs. They have only managed to win one out of 13 such chases in IPL history. This might encourage other teams to set high totals and put pressure on the SRH batting lineup.
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