FANTASY
Follow UsHaving qualified for the play-offs, Royal Challengers Bangalore will look to push for a top-two finish when they meet bottom-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad in Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. SRH won the match against Rajasthan Royals but slumped to two defeats while RCB are fresh from their commanding win over Punjab Kings which sealed their place in the playoffs.
IPL head-to-head
Overall matches: 18 | SRH- 10 wins | RCB - 8 wins
Last five matches: RCB - 3 wins | SRH- 2 wins
Suggested team
While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.
Ground details
The Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi has been a good batting surface for majority of IPL 2021 as the average first and second innings totals are around 150. It has been a healthy competition between spin and pacer with each department capable to getting something out of the surface. Pacers have an edge in terms of wickets as they have claimed 66% of the wickets and have a better strike rate of 21.3 balls per wicket. Spinners, on the other hand, have been economical giving away average 7.1 runs per over compared to 8.5 for pacers. They also have a better average of 28.8 compared to pacers' 30.1. It is good to go with three in-form pacers and two frontline spinners alongside an all-rounder.
Captain
Yuzvendra Chahal has been making headlines for all the right reasons since his omission from India's T20 World Cup. The leg-spinner has been in tremendous form having claimed 14 wicket at an average of 21.2 and an economy of 7.2. His performance of 3-29 against Punjab in the previous game, will give him confidence against SRH's floundering batting line-up.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Chahal could pick 2-3 wickets in this match.
X-Factors
Harshal Patel has been a revelation this season especially his use of slower deliveries troubling all types of batters to no end. Against Punjab Kings the Purple Cap holder has shown that he is supremely calm in pressure situations as he won the match for RCB in the final over.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Patel could pick 2-3 wickets in this match.
Virat Kohli has been the key performers with bat for RCB this season, as they recovered from shoddy performances at the beginning of the second leg. He has kept the scoreboard ticking in the powerplay and played the role of anchor which allowed Devdutt Padikkal to go ballistic.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Kohli could score 22-34 runs in this match.
Jason Holder has been best performers for SRH in the second leg claiming 11 wickets at an impressive economy of 7. The West Indies all-rounder hasn't been consistent with the bat, but has been the go-to bowler for Kane Williamson when in need of breakthroughs.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Holder could score 7-11 runs and claim 2-3 wickets in this match.
Probables XIs
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Devdutt Padikkal,Virat Kohli (C), KS Bharath (WK), Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, Kyle Jamieson, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Jason Roy, Wriddhiman Saha(WK), Kane Williamson (C), Abhishek Sharma, Jason Holder, Abdul Samad, Kedar Jadhav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Umran Malik.