‘I’ve learned a lot off those guys’: Skipper Cummins hails SRH bowling unit after win over RCB

HYDERABAD: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) thrashed Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their last league-stage match of IPL 2026 here on Friday and SRH skipper Pat Cummins said he is happy with the ‘big win’.

During the post-match press conference, Cummins talked about the 55-run win over RCB, his learning from the SRH bowling unit and playing Eliminator at New Chandigarh.

“It was pretty impressive to get to the score that we did. I thought the boys batted fantastically, and it’s a good bowling performance. So everyone’s hitting their straps. A pretty good wicket, we knew a lot of things had to go our way. It got close. I think they were trying to make sure they got up to that score. So we threw a few different things at them, but it’s still a big win,” said Cummins.

Interviewer: “What are they going to do in New Chandigarh?”

Pat Cummins said: “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… pic.twitter.com/jU2BD8X5Q7

— Cricket Central (@CricketCentrl) May 22, 2026

Cummins, who has been economical throughout the season, leaked 48 runs in the game and remained wicketless. Despite that, he acknowledged his bowling unit’s brilliance and especially mentioned Sri Lankan seamer Eshan Malinga and young uncapped Indian fast bowler Sakib Hussain.

“They’ve been fantastic. I’ve actually learned a lot off those guys as well. The way Eshan [Malinga] has bowled all season, particularly in that powerplay. He’s been the form bowler of the competition, kind of with his slower balls and his mixing up different things. And of course, Sakib [Hussain] there as well. So captain’s dream,” Cummins said.

Despite this loss, RCB finish at the top of the table with nine wins and five losses, with 18 points. They have sealed the Qualifier One clash with the Gujarat Titans (GT), who are also placed second with 18 points. SRH finished at third with the same points and will be playing the eliminator at New Chandigarh.

The opponent of SRH for the eliminator is yet to be decided, and Cummins looked less concerned for the knockout game. “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,” he concluded.

Brief Scores: SRH: 255/4 (Ishan Kishan 79, Abhishek Sharma 56, Rasikh Salam Dar 2/52) beat RCB: 200/4 (Rajat Patidar 56, Venkatesh Iyer 44, Eshan Malinga 2/33). (ANI)