Captain Faf du Plessis hit his third half-century of the IPL season as the Royal Challengers Bangalore beat the Sunrisers Hyderabad by 67 runs on Sunday.

Virat Kohli’s miserable batting form extended with a third golden duck this IPL season. He was caught off the first ball of the match with a mistimed hit to short midwicket.

But Du Plessis made an unbeaten 73 off 50 balls, including eight fours and two sixes, as Bangalore posted 192-3.

Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga then returned figures of 5-18 to help dismiss Hyderabad for 125 in 19.2 overs as Bangalore, who are searching for their maiden IPL title, stay strong at fourth in the 10-team table.

Hyderabad, led by Kane Williamson, slumped to their fourth straight loss.

Bangalore recovered quickly from Kohli’s opening blow. Du Plessis and Rajat Patidar, who made 48, put on 105 runs to take the attack to the opposition bowlers with speedster Umran Malik going for 25 runs off his two overs.

Du Plessis reached his third half-century of the season with a boundary, but Suchith denied Patidar his fifty to return figures of 2-30 from his four overs.

Du Plessis kept up the attack and found company in Glenn Maxwell, who hit two sixes before getting out in the 19th over for 33.

In-form Dinesh Karthik made an eight-ball 30 to finish with a flourish as he hit three sixes and boundary in a 25-run 20th over by IPL debutant and Afghanistan fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Hyderabad lost Williamson with a run-out off a direct throw from Shahbaz Ahmed on the first ball of the innings and Maxwell bowled Abhishek Sharma four deliveries later with his off-spin.

Hasaranga then took over with his leg-spin to rattle the Hyderabad batting with regular strikes in his four overs including one maiden.

Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood got two wickets including Hyderabad top-scorer Rahul Tripathi for 58.

© Agence France-Presse