Virat Kohli’s Team Bangalore pulled off a stunning victory over Team Hyderabad on Wednesday, April 14, beating the one-time Indian T20 League champions by six runs.
Bangalore were put in to bat first in Chennai and judging by the nature of the pitch, no one really expected it to be a high-scoring affair anyway. The team made a decent start and rode on the back of Glenn Maxwell’s quickfire half-century before putting 149/8 on board. The likes of Jason Holder and Rashid Khan shone for Hyderabad, with the duo picking three and two wickets respectively.
The nature of the pitch changed in the second innings and batting on that surface became even more difficult. Captain David Warner and Manish Pandey did try to take their team home, but Bangalore bowlers were simply too hot to handle.
Shahbaz Ahmed, in particular, changed the course in the 17th over, picking three wickets to pile further misery on Hyderabad. Pacer Mohammed Siraj did the rest as Bangalore somehow managed to defend their target.
Bangalore now sit at the top of the Indian T20 League table after having won both of their opening games. That said, let’s take a look at some key stats from the game.
The real Glenn Maxwell is standing up
After an underwhelming return in the 2020 Indian T20 League last year, Glenn Maxwell was put under immense pressure to perform for his new team, especially after Banglore decided to go big for him in the mini-auction. The Aussie all-rounder has, so far, scored 39 and 59 runs in two innings, repaying the faith that the franchise entrusted in him.
| Glenn Maxwell vs Hyderabad | ||||||||
| Overs | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Strike rate | Dot% | Run% |
| 7-15 | 31 | 26 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 119.23 | 42.3 | 52.54 |
| 16-20 | 29 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 186.66 | 20 | 47.45 |
Bangalore’s middle-order was crumbling against Hyderabad and they were in a dire need of someone who could steady the ship. On came Maxwell and went on to score his seventh half-century of the Indian T20 League. It was the Aussie’s first fifty in his last 40 innings in the Indian T20 League.
49 Yusuf Pathan (2010-13)
48 Deepak Hooda (2015-20)
44 Dwayne Bravo (2009-15)
40 Glenn Maxwell (2016-21)
*Most innings between two 50+ scores in Indian T20 League*
Bangalore scored 46 runs in the last five overs and a whopping 60.87% of those runs came through Maxwell’s bat.
Holder and Rashid the only wolves
The likes of Jason Holder and Rashid Khan were simply unplayable at times for Bangalore. While the big West Indian went for just over seven runs per over, the Afghan leggie kept his economy under five. Holder’s form in Hyderabad’s shirt has been breathtaking, to say the least. The all-rounder has played eight Indian T20 League games since joining the team in 2020 and has picked at least one wicket in all of his outings. This includes three three-fers at an average of 15.47.
| Jason Holder vs active Indian T20 League teams | |||||||
| Teams | Innings | Runs | Balls | Wickets | Average | Economy | Strike Rate |
| Delhi | 4 | 170 | 96 | 2 | 85.00 | 10.62 | 48.00 |
| Kolkata | 1 | 35 | 18 | 1 | 35.00 | 11.66 | 18.00 |
| Mumbai | 1 | 25 | 24 | 2 | 12.50 | 6.25 | 12.00 |
| Punjab | 1 | 27 | 24 | 2 | 13.50 | 6.75 | 12.00 |
| Rajasthan | 3 | 83 | 72 | 5 | 16.60 | 6.91 | 14.40 |
| Bangalore | 4 | 102 | 78 | 8 | 12.75 | 7.84 | 9.75 |
His yesterday’s spell of 3/30 is his second-best bowling figures in the Indian T29 League. Amongst all the teams he has played against, Bangalore remain his favourite opponent as he has picked eight wickets against them.
| Most dismissals of a batsman by Rashid Khan in Indian T20 League | |
| Batsman | Wicket |
| Suresh Raina | 3 |
| KL Rahul | 3 |
| Jos Buttler | 3 |
| AB de Villiers | 3 |
Rashid Khan, on the other hand, got the important wicket of AB de Villiers and this is the third time he has done so in his Indian T20 League career.
Featured image: Twitter / @IPL
