That is the end of another high-scoring game in the IPL! We only have 3 matches left in the league stage. Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad all finish with 18 points, but it has come down to the net run rate. RCB, once they reached 166, were confirmed for a top-two finish, and once they reached 178, they were confirmed at the top! GT finish second, while SRH had to settle for third.
That leaves us with the defending champions, RCB, taking on GT in Qualifier 1 in Dharamsala on May 26. SRH will be playing in the Eliminator in New Chandigarh on May 27, but who are they facing? As for the answer, we have to wait until Sunday's doubleheader. Before that, we have Lucknow Super Giants facing Punjab Kings at Ekana on Saturday. PBKS need to win at any cost to stay alive in the tournament.
For now, this is me, AkshayaKrishna Polya, signing off on behalf of co-commentators Ajay Pal Singh and Ninaad Dixit, scorers Manish Bishnoi and Paras Yadav and statisticians Rohit Yadav and Aman. We will meet again. Until then, it is cheers!
FUN FACT: For just the second time in IPL history, the top three teams finished the league stage on the same points tally — MI/CSK/DC in 2019 and RCB/GT/SRH in 2026. All of them had 18 points at the end of the league phase!
Ishan Kishan (POTM): "[About his knock and on getting his 3rd POTM award this season] Just happy about it. I am taking one match at a time, not making it complicated for myself, just keeping it simple, as I spoke earlier before the tournament. It's just about watching the ball and playing your game.
[On his love affair with run scoring against RCB] I don't know, to be very honest. As I said, I just take one match at a time, but I don't know why, but I do feel confident when I'm playing against them, and I think, at the end of the day, fortune favours the brave, and I just try to do my thing, and it works in my way.
[On his mature stroke play] I mean more than maturity; it's about shot selection. So, you know when to play which shot, who to target. So I'm just trying to you know, take one ball at a time, know the situation, understand the pitch, and just play your shots. You need to feel confident in the middle and if you're feeling that way just make sure you play those good shots.
[Could they have finished in the top two?] From Day 1, we had that in mind. We wanted to finish in the top two because it gives the team an opportunity to reach the finals easily. But at the same time, Pat coming in, helping us with everything, getting one of the best bowlers on our side, leadership qualities there. So it's very good to have him, and the way he's leading the side, I can't ask for more also as a team.
[How pleased is he with the way the team is performing at the moment?] Credit goes to everyone, to the whole team and support staff, especially for keeping us in that zone. You never doubt yourself. You never think about doing something else. You're not getting runs, or when you're not getting wickets, I guess, you just keep it simple. You just bowl your best balls, you play your best shots. And, it's about enjoying in the middle because at the end of the day, pressure is always there. But if you're enjoying it, you might get into the zone where you just play your best game. So that I'm sure I need to give that credit to the support staff and Pat Cummins because he has always been there, who has always motivated players in the middle."
Player of the Match: Ishan Kishan
Pat Cummins (Sunrisers Hyderabad Captain): "[About the win] It was pretty impressive to get the score that we did. I thought the boys batted fantastically. It's a good bowling performance. Everyone's hitting their straps.
[On possibly restricting RCB to less than 166 and getting a finish in the top 2] A pretty good wicket, we knew a lot of things had to go our way. Yeah, we got close. Yeah, I think they were trying to make sure they got up to that score (166 for RCB's confirmation in the top two). So we threw a few different things at them, but it's still a big win. So, good.
[On the good performance from younger bowlers in the team] They've been fantastic. I've actually learned a lot from those guys as well. The way Eshan has bowled all season, particularly in that powerplay. He's been the form bowler of the competition, kind of with his slow balls and his mixing up different things. And of course, Sakib there as well. So the captain's dream.
[What are they going to do in New Chandigarh?] Yeah, it's still 5-6 days away. So yeah, we'll rest up for a couple of days, head up there. And yeah, the guys know the ground pretty well. So get up there. I think we'll know who we're playing in the next day or two."
Most Dot Balls in the Match: Eshan Malinga (10)
Most Fours of the Match: Ishan Kishan (8)
Super Sixes of the Match: Abhishek Sharma (5)
Heinrich Klaasen also hit 5 sixes, but Abhishek had scored more runs than the South African.
Super Striker of the Match: Abhishek Sharma (254.55)
11:44 PM IST, Local Time: Murali Kartik is ready with the post-match ceremony!