IPL 2019: Hetmyer, Gurkeerat shine as RCB register 4-wicket victory over SRH

Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by four wickets in their Indian Premier League (IPL) clash here on Saturday, owing to a solid fourth-wicket partnership between Shimron Hetmyer and Gurkeerat Singh, backed by crucial boundaries from Umesh Yadav in the final over.

Chasing a target of 176 runs, RCB got off to a shaky start, as Parthiv Patel (0) and skipper Virat Kohli (16) were sent back to the pavilion in consecutive overs.

Next to bat were AB de Villiers and Shimron Hetmyer. However, De Villiers failed to hold ground, following which Gurkeerat Singh was brought on to the field.

Although things looked unsure for the home team, who were at 20 runs for the loss of three wickets in 2.5 overs, Hetmyer and Singh played brilliant knocks to bring their side back into the game.

Keeping the boundaries going, Hetmyer (75) and Singh (65) were able to stitch a 144-run partnership, until they were dismissed by Rashid Khan and Khaleel Ahmed, respectively.

With Hyderabad upping its bowling attack to make a comeback in the game, Colin de Grandhomme came out to bat with Washington Sundar at a time when the team needed 12 runs to win from under two overs.

However, Sundar was dismissed soon after he came out to the field, after which Umesh Yadav was brought in to bat.

With just six runs needed off the last over, Yadav finished the game in style with two boundaries off the first two deliveries of the last over, thereby taking his side over the line.

Earlier, Sunrisers Hyderabad, who were sent to bat first, got off to a steady start as their openers Wriddhiman Saha and Martin Guptill formed a 46-run first-wicket partnership.

Navdeep Saini provided the home team their first breakthrough by dismissing Saha, who scored 20 runs off 11 balls.

Manish Pandey came out to join Guptill, but their partnership did not last long as the latter gave away his wicket after scoring 30 runs. In the same over, Pandey was sent back to the pavilion by Washington Sundar.

Skipper Kane Williamson and Vijay Shankar then came out to bat and struck some regular boundaries, helping their side keep the scoreboard ticking.

After a 45-run partnership, Shankar was dismissed. Williamson, however, kept hammering boundaries and sixes to score a timely half-century.

The skipper scored an unbeaten 70 runs off just 43 deliveries to take his side's total to 175 for the loss of seven wickets at the end of the stipulated twenty overs.

.