SRH v RCB, IPL 2021: 3 reasons why the Sunrisers Hyderabad lost

Following the script of the previous Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter in Chennai, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) floundered in a chase against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

What would worry SRH is that they looked in complete control while the second-wicket pair of Jonny Bairstow and Manish Pandey was at the crease. But they still threw away the contest like the Kolkata Knight Riders did the previous night.

With the win, RCB went up to the top of the points table, while SRH stayed winless as they lost another close contest. IPL 2021 has already hosted a number of incredibly close games that have demonstrated teams' ability to hang on during key moments, and SRH would look back ruefully at another game they could have won.

Here are the three biggest reasons why SRH lost to RCB in the IPL game on April 14.

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#3 Poor death bowling by SRH on a low-scoring wicket

The likes of T Natarajan had an off day towards the death for SRH.

There is hardly any trick to bowling on the Chepauk pitch at the death this season - bowl pace off, ram it into the pitch, use bouncers and yorkers to change things up. The difference between the two sides, given how hard it was to score at the death, was the quality and consistency of their bowling.

Both Jason Holder and T Natarajan were guilty of bowling some freebies - full tosses at crucial intervals, duly dispatched over the ropes by the likes of Glenn Maxwell. The ever-consistent Bhuvneshwar Kumar also bowled full tosses to Maxwell and Kyle Jamieson as RCB scored 39 off the final three overs of their innings.

In return, SRH lost 7 wickets for just 35 runs in the final five overs of their innings, showing the disparity in bowling strategy and execution.

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#2 Untimely dismissals of Pandey and Bairstow

Shahbaz Ahmed turned the game on its head with three wickets in an over.

Jonny Bairstow moved one step further from cementing his place in the SRH lineup once Kane Williamson returns. The England No. 4 batsman pointlessly went after spinner Shahbaz Ahmed, despite the team being well ahead in the game and needing just the odd boundary to win the game.

Manish Pandey, meanwhile, had compiled a steady, run-a-ball innings of 38 and had the perfect opportunity to step up and take the team home with enough time left in the game and not too many to get. Unfortunately, he lost his head, going after a spinner who had just dismissed Bairstow on a pitch that was gripping and turning.

The loss of two quality batsmen exposed SRH's middle order, which never quite showed up to bat.

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#1 RCB's superb death bowling

Harshal Patel was impressive once again for RCB at the death.

What started with a punt in the form of Shahbaz Ahmed being given the 17th over - resulting in 3 wickets for just one run - continued as a masterful death bowling display by RCB defending a small total.

Harshal Patel continued his wily ways at the death, playing the slower-ball card to perfection - save for two waist-high no balls as the ball slipped out - while Mohammed Siraj too chipped in for RCB.

Even though there was the occasional slip up, it was a show of consistent line, length and pace, which the somewhat wayward SRH death bowlers were unable to match.

Despite Rashid Khan appearing to have a grip on conditions with two sweetly timed blows, the struggle was on throughout for SRH's batsmen as RCB applied the squeeze through some new stars.