Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 14 (ANI): Former Indian cricketer and former batting coach Sanjay Bangar praised Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) stand-in captain Ishan Kishan's aggressive batting against Rajasthan Royals (RR) that helped the team post a big total of 216/6 in 20 overs in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match on Monday, and eventually win the contest by 57 runs.

With SRH batting first, Ishan Kishan had to come in right away as opener Abhishek Sharma lost his wicket on the very first ball of the match. Kishan slammed a handsome 91 off just 44 balls, hitting eight boundaries and six maximums, helping SRH reach the score of 216/6.

Speaking on Star Sports, JioStar expert Sanjay Bangar praised Ishan Kishan's attacking innings, highlighting his confident footwork and composure against RR pacer Jofra Archer, who Ishan targeted for 10 runs in an over early in his innings. Bangar said Kishan judged the ball well, played on merit, and quickly looked set for a big score. 'The way Ishan Kishan attacked Jofra Archer in the first six balls was a pure display of class. He got behind the line of the ball, moved across the crease very confidently, and was very precise with his footwork. As a batter, you know when you're in for a special night and that was clear in his first six to eight balls. He played everything on the merit of the ball and looked totally composed. Ishan Kishan's aggressive brand of cricket meant that SRH could get to a score which, in hindsight, was way beyond Rajasthan Royals' reach,' Bangar said.

Coming to the match, put to bat first, SRH posted 216/6, largely powered by skipper Ishan Kishan and innings from Heinrich Klaasen (40 in 26 balls, with a four and three sixes) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (28 in 13 balls, with four boundaries).

During the chase of 217 runs, RR's top-order was ripped apart in the first over by debutant Praful (4/34 in four overs), and RR were left hopeless at 9/5. Donovan Ferreira (69 in 44 balls, with seven fours and three sixes) and Ravindra Jadeja (45 in 32 balls, with five fours) did put a century stand for net-run-rate's sake, but RR were bundled out for 159, with some late support by Sakib Hussain (4/24). (ANI)