Mike Hesson, Royal Challengers Bangalore head coach, said that Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell was the only batsman who managed to get any flow on the Abu Dhabi pitch against Sunrisers Hyderabad and his run out hurt their progress in the chase on Wednesday.
Glenn Maxwell’s run-out was probably the turning point of Wednesday’s Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). RCB was denied a chance at fighting for a spot in the top two as SRH stunned them with just their third win of the season.
Mike Hesson: Glenn Maxwell Only Batsman Who Was Fluent And Set But His Runout Turned The Game
Glenn Maxwell and Devdutt Padikkal had put up 54 runs in 44 balls for the fourth wicket in what was RCB’s highest partnership in the match. However, they went for an ill-advised single in the 15th over, which ended with SRH captain Kane Williamson managing a direct hit and running out Glenn Maxwell. He had scored 40 off 25 balls.
“Glenn was the only batsman who got any fluency on that surface and he was set, so he was probably the man we wanted at the crease so, it probably was. It bounced up nicely for the fielder and then an exceptional piece of work for the runout. Probably turned the game but, we just left a little bit too much to do at the end. We weren’t quite good enough in those key moments to get over the line,” Hesson told the media after the match.
Chasing the target of 142 runs, RCB lost three early wickets, but then Glenn Maxwell (40) and Devdutt Padikkal (41) added 54 runs for the fourth wicket. However, Devdutt Padikkal struggled in the middle and played with a strike of less than 80. Umran Malik was the best bowler for SRH when it came to bowling figures. The 21-year-old pacer from Jammu and Kashmir also bowled the fastest delivery by an Indian in IPL history.
Mike Hesson Reasons Why Dan Christan Was Promoted
Chasing a target of 142, RCB had sent in Dan Christian at No.3. Mike Hesson said that this was done to maximize the powerplay overs, but the ploy failed, with Dan Christian being dismissed for just one run of four balls.
“We felt that the powerplay was probably the easiest time to score. So we gave Dan Christian a bit of a license in the last couple of games – just to go out, try and attack and get us ahead of the game. Obviously, it hasn’t worked on either occasion,” said Mike Hesson.
