This was the case yet again on Monday, May 7, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rashid Khan leading Hyderabad to a five-run victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore on a slow surface at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

Bangalore would have been the happier side during the innings break, having bowled out Hyderabad for 146, with Kane Williamson’s 39-ball 56 making up a large portion of the score. Parthiv Patel then got Bangalore off to a fluent start, and with Virat Kohli seemingly in good touch, Bangalore reached 60-1 in seven overs, well above the required rate.

Williamson, the Player of the Match, said partnerships were key to Hyderabad posting a defendable total. “It was definitely hard work initially, and it was nice to get a few boundaries away towards the end, but it was a tough surface to get momentum,” he said. “There were a number of key partnerships that allowed us to get to a competitive total. I suppose on these surfaces, that’s what is really important.”

For Bangalore, it was another case of not winning the crucial moments, and Kohli, their captain, made no excuses. “We were not good enough, not up to the mark,” he said. “60-odd runs in six overs for one wicket, and then we ended up like that, so we deserved to lose this game. I don’t think we showed enough application out there. Even after losing two-three wickets, we needed one partnership and the kind of shots that we played were not on at that stage of the game, especially on that slow wicket.”

Kohli was also effusive in praise of the Hyderabad bowlers. “If you have strong characters in the team, you are always going to do well in this tournament and they have quite a few guys who put their hands up under pressure and that’s been the story of their season,” he said. “That is something we need to take into account, they are a good team, they understand their strengths really well and they play according to that. They don’t go out of their limitations and that is why they have been so successful so far.”