IPL 2024: ‘Better, they play 11 batters’, says Srikkanth after RCB bowlers leaked 287 runs against SRH

New Delhi: Former India cricketer Kris Srikkanth said he was hurt by watching the Royal Challengers Bengaluru bowling performance against Sunrisers Hyderabad in a record-breaking IPL 2024 match at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

On Monday night, RCB suffered their sixth defeat in seven games after losing to SRH by 25 runs, who managed a record for the highest total in IPL history with 287/3, beating their record of 277 set against the Mumbai Indians (MI) earlier in the season.

Srikkanth took a dig at RCB, and advised them to play with all 11 batters, especially when they play at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Srikkanth also said that Virat Kohli could have bowled better than those who leaked 287 runs in the match.

"Reece Topley is getting smashed. Lockie Ferguson was getting smashed. He has not done well in the IPL. He has traveled from Kolkata to Bengaluru. Will Jacks has been their best bowler," Srikkanth said on his YouTube show.

"Better, they play 11 batters. Ask Faf du Plessis to bowl 2 overs. Give Cameron Green 4 overs. I think Virat Kohli wouldn't have conceded this many had he bowled 4 overs. Virat Kohli is a decent bowler. At one stage, I felt very bad for Virat Kohli, who was just watching the balls fly out of the stadium. He came out angry when he walked out to bat. Head was smashing them, Klaasen, after that. But Abdul Samad's knock was the final nail in the coffin," he added.

RCB entered the match without a single specialist spinner and with Mohammad Siraj on the bench, their bowling line up looked inexperienced. They went for the off-spin of Will Jacks, who was taken for 32 in his three overs. Pace bowlers Reece Topley, Yash Dayal, Lockie Ferguson, and Vijaykumar Vyshak were belted for 137 off ten overs.

It was a perfect day for batsmen as Sunrisers hammered 22 sixes, another IPL record, and RCB struck 16 of their own. In this match, Sunrisers Hyderabad elevated T20 batting to a new level. It was impressive that they hit 41 boundaries in the innings.

There has only ever been one IPL match where a team has hit more boundaries; the well-known 2013 encounter between Pune Warriors and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. On that particular occasion, Chris Gayle contributed 30 out of 42 boundaries.