Captain Pat Cummins heaped praise on fast bowlers Eshan Malinga and Sakib Hussain as Sunrisers Hyderabad claimed a 55-run win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
On Friday, Hyderabad racked up a total of 255 for four thanks to Ishan Kishan’s knock of 79 (46) before Hussain and Malinga took three key wickets to slow down Bengaluru’s chase.
Hussain and Malinga have bagged a combined 34 wickets in the IPL this season, while Cummins, who missed part of the campaign due to a lumbar bone stress injury, has eight wickets in seven matches.
“They’ve been fantastic. I’ve actually learned a lot of from those guys as well,” Australia’s Cummins said.
“Eshan Malinga has been the form bowler, and he’s mixing up different things. And of course, you know, Sakib there as well. So, a captain’s dream.”
Hyderabad head coach Daniel Vettori said the performance of their bowling unit was a key factor in helping them overcome a poor start to the season.
“Those three fast bowlers have been exceptional,” he added,
“We have had contributions from Harsh Dubey, from Shivang (Kumar), from Nitish (Kumar Reddy), from (Praful) Hinge, that have allowed us to come back from losing three of our first four games.
“And then to win eight out of the next 12 is a real credit to them. We anticipated our batting unit doing what they did, and then for the bowlers to compliment them is the reason we’re in the position we are now.”
Despite the heavy defeat, Bengaluru finished the league stage atop the standings and will take on second-placed Gujarat Titans in the first playoff match on Tuesday, while Hyderabad plays in the eliminator on Wednesday.
Published on May 23, 2026