Williamson special in vain as de Villiers, Moeen keep RCB alive
Kane Williamson made a rousing 81 off 42 balls but it wasn't enough for Sunrisers Hyderabad to chase down 219
Kane Williamson made a rousing 81 off 42 balls but it wasn't enough for Sunrisers Hyderabad to chase down 219
Commentator: Shashank Kishore
Thank you for joining us. It's been a pleasure covering this game. Until next time, it's goodbye from myself, Shashank Kishore, and Nikhil Kalro. Cheers!
Time for the presentation
Ab de Villiers is the Player of the Match. "It's an amazing feeling when they chant my name. I look to put pressure on the bowlers. I'm human after all. If I get one or two away, I have momentum going my way. With the catch, I made it look tougher than it was. It curved away late, luckily it stuck. I got into a bad position. It'd be great to make the knockouts. Lot's got to happen. We have to win the next game, then it comes down to run rates."
Virat Kohli, the winning captain: "Emotions are alright, seen many of these games before. Have to stay calm, after a point, you have to understand the bowlers are in control. To be fair to them, it wasn't easy. There was dew as well, hats off to them for keeping their composure. Now we head to Rajasthan with momentum on our side, the team's feeling great. Tonight, AB, Moeen and Colin were outstanding. With the ball, there were difficulties but they did well. Moeen's come in and done a great job for us, hats off to him for grabbing opportunities with both hands. He's given us the balance. We're happy with the XI now, it's settled. Team's don't want us to win, looking at the strength, they want us to not win. We sense fear and we pounce. AB's catch was spiderman stuff, you don't do that as normal human beings. His shots still leave me in awe, the fielding unbelievable. Grateful to the crowd, this is our last home game. They've been fabulous."
Vincent Sunder wonders: "Pandey 62 off 38 but had two no-shot-offered deliveries and a cute no contact-attempt. Cost game?"
Kane Williamson says: "I think to be honest, we missed the trick a little with the ball in hand. RCB have a fantastic batting line-up and put us under pressure. When you're chasing a total like that, you need to make right decisions, at key times in the chase, we didn't. But there's a lot to learn as we move forward. We've seen the surface being tough here, tonight it was a good wicket, so we didn't want to get carried away. Close, but not close enough."
His next-door neighbour Tim Southee: "I thought I took the catch, but you never know. It looks worse on TV, third-umpire's decision, but we won and that's what matters.The way AB, Mo and Colin set the game up was great, it got tight towards the end but we held our nerve."
11.40pm RCB are now fifth with 12 points, level with Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI. Their game on Saturday against Royals in Jaipur is down to a knockout shootout. Big, big result for them.
What entertainment for the crowd. Over 400 runs, three magnificent knocks for RCB: AB, Moeen and de Grandhomme. Then in the chase, Williamson single-handedly brought this chase into the realms of possibility but was denied strike towards the end of the innings. He faced just eight balls in the last five overs leading into this final-over dismissal. That, right there, was the game. Manish Pandey played a good hand, but just didn't have enough in the tank to get his side home.
Williamson faced only 8 balls in the last 5 overs before his dismissal
The good thing from Sunrisers' point of view is that Pandey will be on strike, something their fans haven't liked hearing at different stages this season. Can he bail them out?
KS Williamson c de Grandhomme b Mohammed Siraj 81 (42b 7x4 5x6) SR: 192.85
Kohli's options: de Grandhomme or Siraj. Umesh and Chahal have bowled out. Surely he won't risk Moeen Ali. Reckon he'll go with Hyderabad boy Siraj. Yess
RCB have invariably lost quick wickets in the middle overs while batting first, but on Thursday against Sunrisers, they had a welcome departure from that norm that ensured they didn't end up with a sub-par total
Like efficient companies, the best players have the ability to innovate while still relying on their strengths. Kane Williamson has done so expertly through the season, and again during his 81 against RCB
Plus, do third umpires need time limits to make their decisions, and why did Williamson get so little of the strike in the closing stages of Sunrisers' chase?
His ability to adapt to any situation makes the Bangladesh allrounder an invaluable part of the Sunrisers outfit and, overall, a T20 gem
An explainer on how the Royal Challengers Bangalore v Sunrisers Hyderabad game will affect the play-off race