IPL: Shahbaz Ahmed shines as RCB clinch thrilling win over SRH

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 14 : David Warner's half-century had put Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on course of a victory but Shahbaz Ahmed ran through their middle order to help Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) register a thrilling win in their Indian Premier League (IPL) game at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Wednesday evening.
Earlier, Glenn Maxwell had scored a gutsy half-century to ensure that RCB, despite losing a flurry of wickets in the second half of their innings, set up a 150-run target. In response, SRH fell seven runs short of the target, thanks to some brilliant bowling in the second half by RCB.
SRH was right on track for a win with Warner and Manish Pandey stitching a 83-run stand for the second wicket but the side lost the plot in the middle overs. SRH collapsed from 96/1 to 123/6 within 4.4 overs and was managed 143/9 in their allotted 20 overs. Shahbaz picked three key wickets and delivered when RCB needed him the most.
SRH had a bad start to their chase as opening batsman Wriddhiman Saha was sent back in the hut in the third over by Mohammed Siraj.
But skipper Warner and Manish carried the innings and ensured SRH didn't lose a wicket as the duo took their side to 50/1 at the end of the powerplay.
While Manish played a run-a-ball knock, Warner was in his prime best as he took on the RCB bowlers and completed his fifty in just 31 balls.
RCB finally took a sigh of relief when Kyle Jamieson dismissed Warner in the 14th over. Warner's wicket triggered a major collapse as SRH lost five batsmen in 4.4 overs.
In the end, Rashid Khan tried to get SRH over the line but was run out in an attempt to take a double.
Earlier put in to bat, RCB had a decent start before Devdutt Padikkal departed in the third over.
Shahbaz, who was promoted up the order, had his fair share of chances where he smoked a four but Shahbaz Nadeem got the better of him as RCB lost the second wicket just after the completion of powerplay.
The next few overs saw skipper Virat Kohli and Maxwell scoring at a sluggish rate before the Australian all-rounder whacked two sixes and one four in Nadeem's final over.
But SRH again came back in the game with two quick wickets of Kohli and de Villiers. While Holder dismissed Kohli in the 12th over, Rashid sent the former Proteas batsman back in the hut in the next over.
In the death overs, Maxwell kept slogging the ball to complete his gutsy fifty (his first since 2016 in IPL) as RCB went past the 140-run mark.
Brief Scores: RCB 149/8 (Virat Kohli 33, Glenn Maxwell 59; Jason Holder 3-30); SRH 143/9 (David Warner 54, Manish Pandey 38; Shahbaz Ahmed 3-7)