TACTICAL PREVIEW
Follow UsSunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) could not have asked for a better opponent to run into, considering their hot streak. They beat defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) comprehensively and followed that up with a nerve-wracking two-run win over Punjab Kings (PBKS). They will now be up against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), who are in desperate need of a win, having lost five out of their six matches so far.
Nothing has really gone right for RCB, this season – be it their batting or bowling – and they are at a stage wherein they cannot afford any more slip-ups. SRH, who had lost two of their first three games, have had more than one player put their hand up this season and deliver.
Virat Kohli may have the orange cap, but that could potentially be of no value at the end of the game if RCB do not walk away from the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru with two points. If one of Glenn Maxwell or Mohammed Siraj step up for them, it would be a massive tick.
However, it will not be easy given that SRH have plenty of in-form batters and bowlers who are peaking at the right time. Has RCB’s time to peak finally arrived?
RCB vs SRH Head-to-Head
Overall - Games 22 | RCB 10 | SRH 12
In Bengaluru – RCB 5 | SRH 2
Venue and Condition details
The pacers have been dominant at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, having picked up almost 73% of the wickets to fall in this IPL season. While the spinners (ER 8.3) have been far more economical than the pacers (9.2), the latter have picked up wickets more regularly, striking once every 20.3 deliveries, 30.9 runs apart. The corresponding numbers for the spinners are 23.2 and 32.3, respectively.
In the IPL since 2023, the average first innings total at this venue has been 191. Chasing is the way to go at the Chinnaswamy, and it has been about six years since the captain won the toss and opted to bat first here.
Weather forecast
According to reports, rains are expected to stay away from Bengaluru for at least another week. The temperature on April 15 (Monday) is expected to be 33 °C at the start of the game and is likely to dip to 29°C at the closing stages, with humidity ranging between 24-36%.
Things to watch out for
Klaasen and DK carnage at the death
For RCB, other than Kohli, if there has been one batter who has been consistent, it is Dinesh Karthik. He has struck at 250 this season – this highest this season, while SRH’s Heinrich Klaasen is not too far behind at 235, just behind Karthik.
Karthik (11) and Klaasen (10) have also hit the most sixes in overs 16-20. Klaasen though has murdered both pacers and spinners alike, smashing them at a strike rate of 185 and 205 respectively. Karthik, on the other hand, has not faced much of spin this season, but against the pacers, he has fared better than Klaasen, striking ‘em at 203. With the match set to be played in Bengaluru, these two could tee off once again.
Can Siraj resurrect himself?
Mohammed Siraj has managed to pick up just one wicket in the powerplay in six innings so far at an economy rate of 12.3, which is in stark contrast to what he did in the tournament in 2023, where his 10 wickets came at under six runs per over.
Also Read: Mohammed Siraj’s horror season with the new ball
He has conceded 10 sixes in the first six overs this season, which is twice than what Deepak Chahar in second place has been taken for. If this continues, he may not just find himself out of the RCB XI, there could be no room for him in India’s T20 World Cup squad as well.
The game against his former team SRH comes at the right time for the pacer, as he has the best economy rate (7.5) against them. However, Siraj has gone wicketless in three of the last five matches against them.
Can Abhishek keep his red-hot streak going?
The SRH opening combination of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head have been among the best this season. Their runs have come at a strike rate of 177 (ave 42.4) and it's been the catalyst behind SRH getting huge totals this season. 23-year-old Abhishek has had a breakout season. He has not registered an innings with a strike rate of under 145 this season, and his strike rate of 232 in the first 10 balls is the best this tournament.
Add to this, he strikes at 223 in the powerplay and when it comes to boundaries against pacers (BPB 2.8) and spinners (BPB 2.9), there have been very few in the tournament who have been better than him.
Probable XI:
While SRH seem to have a fairly settled unit, the same cannot be said about RCB, who could make a change or two. According to reports, Glenn Maxwell is likely to miss the contest due to a thumb injury. That would mean Green coming back into the XI.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Mahipal Lomror, Reece Topley, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep; Saurav Chauhan/Anuj Rawat (IP)
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Abdul Samad, Nitish Reddy, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, T Natarajan; Rahul Tripathi/Washington Sundar (IP)
TV and streaming details
You can watch the game live from 7:30 PM on Star Sports (TV) and Jio Cinema (Streaming).
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