EXCLUSIVE
Follow UsIn a bid to have a chance to finish in the top two, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) take on bottom-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Abu Dhabi. For that to happen RCB will have to win their next two games, including this one against SRH and will be counting on Punjab Kings (PBKS) to beat Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Thursday (October 7).
Former England batsman Mark Butcher predicts RCB to topple SRH in this game and when it comes to the overseas players, he picks out George Garton saying he will be a superstar in all forms of cricket. Garton, who was roped in as replacement for Australia pacer Kane Richardson has picked up two wickets in as many matches in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 so far.
Picking his four RCB foreigners for the game, Butcher on Cricket.com’s Man vs Machine said, "Glenn Maxwell, is my No. 1 choice. I love the fact that George Garton has gotten a gig with RCB because I think he is going to be a superstar in international and franchise cricket around the world. Terrific athlete – left-arm, quick, got good slower balls, brilliant fielder, smashes it out of the park. He’s got everything. He would certainly be in the side.”
“AB de Villiers has been quiet, but he’s still AB de Villiers. Dan Christian in the backend of his career has become a terrific performer in short-form cricket. I like the way they lined up in the last game against Punjab Kings and I suspect they’ll go something similar to that again this time,” he added.
Butcher has been especially impressed with the way Devdutt Padikkal and Jason Holder have gone about their business in the tournament.
“His form has been so consistent in the IPL. It’s one thing to go out there and strike at a very high rate, but it’s another thing to consistently churn out scores even in low-scoring games,” Butcher said of Paddikal.
Butcher adds he feels Holder should be one of the three players, others being Jason Roy and Rashid Khan, SRH should retain for the next season, if given a choice.
“Jason Holder aside, who has been unbelievably impressive for Sunrisers Hyderabad, considering just how poor they’ve been. The fight has left the building for Sunrisers Hyderabad and therefore, there’s only one winner and that’s RCB,” Butcher adds.
While the Kane Williamson-led side cannot progress further in the tournament, they can certainly spoil RCB’s party who are on a high after confirming their place in the playoffs, but would dearly love to get into the top two. It may not be a crucial game in the larger context of the tournament, yet there is still something to play for.