Royal Challengers Bengaluru finished at the top of the IPL 2026 points table, despite suffering a 55-run defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday. SRH defended 255 at home to finish the league stages with 18 points, on level with RCB and GT, but their comparatively lower net run rate ended their Qualifier 1 hopes.

Chasing a mammoth 256-run target, the defending champions needed to score at least 165 runs to secure the top two spot. Venkatesh Iyer, hero in the previous game, gave RCB a flying start in the powerplay, and the returning captain Rajat Patidar scored a fifty, ensuring a Qualifier 1 clash against second-placed Gujarat Titans.

Meanwhile, SRH, on the other hand, will play either RR, PBKS, KKR or DC in the Eliminator game in New Chandigarh on May 27.

SRH’s batting powerhouse overpowers RCB’s in-form bowling attack

Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head gave SRH a flying start in powerplay but the latter fell in the fourth over. Abhishek continued his red-hot form with 56 off just 22 balls to put his team on a track for a huge total at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen then added 113 runs for the third wicket, with the former top-scoring with 79 off 46. Klaasen also produced his sixth fifty in IPL 2026, becoming the first middle-order batter to score 600+ runs in a season in IPL history.

In the death over, Nitish Kumar Reddy played another superb finishing knock, smashing an unbeaten 29 off just 12 balls to power SRH to 255 for 4 total. For the visiting side, Rasikh Dar picked up two wickets for 52, while the in-form duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood failed to clinch any wickets, also leaking over 50 runs each.

This was the first time three RCB bowlers conceded 50 or more runs in an IPL innings. RCB’s bowling attack was further exposed ahead of their Qualifier 1 clash against GT in Dharamsala on May 26, as the spin duo of Suyash Sharma and Krunal Pandya also conceded 12 or more runs per over.

Rajat Patidar returns with fifty, Venkatesh Iyer proves his worth at top for RCB

Jacob Bethell missed out today’s game with a finger injury, forcing RCB to pick Venkatesh Iyer as Virat Kohli’s opening partner. Venkatesh, who scored 73* off 40 against PBKS in the previous game, gave RCB a stunning start with a quickfire 44 off 19.

Kohli and Iyer added 60 runs off 27 balls for the first wicket, which later proved crucial in surpassing a 165-run mark to secure a Qualifier 1 spot.

The Purple Cap contender Eshan Malinga removed Iyer in the fifth over and Sakib Hussain continued his dream breakout season with Virat Kohli’s precious wicket in the next over to revive SRH’s hopes to restrict the visiting side below 165.

Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya arrived with different mindsets, choosing a 165-run target for the top-two finish, instead of chasing the 256 for the two points. Both took time to settle, avoiding taking risks for the big shots, and added 84 runs for the fourth wicket. Patidar top-scored with 56 off 39 balls, and Krunal added an unbeaten 41 off 31 balls.

Tim David arrived at No. 6 after RCB lost Rajat Patidar in the penultimate over. The big Australian smashed 15* off 7 balls to help the defending champions finish on 200 total. SRH didn’t celebrate their dominant 55-run win, but their impressive all-round performance against Bengaluru will definitely make them favorites in the Eliminator clash, regardless of the opponent.