With backs against the wall, RCB need to step up strong

Sunrisers Hyderabad are out of the competition. But they can still throw the last punch if they manage to beat the Royal Challengers Bangalore in their next encounter. Mumbai Indians’ losing their encounter against Lucknow Super Giants only makes things more complicated for Bangalore. 

Not too long ago, Bangalore looked dead and buried. But then Rajasthan Royals blew all their opportunities, putting themselves in a pickle. That has now allowed Faf du Plessis and co to have a shot at making it to the playoffs. 

The Bangalore faithful will definitely not consider Hyderabad as a team that they can easily beat, given how their past track record against the opponent has been. But the real question is, which Sunrisers Hyderabad will turn up? 

It will be in their own backyard, and spoiling a party will definitely be a priority on their list. 

Things to look forward to

Sunrisers’ batting unit needs to get their act together

It is almost the closing stage of the competition but if there is one batting unit that has looked clueless, it is the Sunrisers Hyderabad. After letting go of Kane Williamson, and possibly assembling one of the strongest units on paper, SRH have tanked and tanked hard. SRH have the second worst run-rate in the competition and have even failed to take advantage of pace in this year’s tournament. 

Against a dominant bowling unit like RCB, SRH need to put on their ‘A’ game, given how only one of their stars, Heinrich Klaasen, has gone past the 300-run mark in the tournament. While Klaasen will definitely still be the key in this batting unit, much more solid contributions from the top order could make a huge difference to the overall health of the franchise. 

A lot of eyes yet again would be on Rahul Tripathi. He’s due for a big score and hasn’t quite lit the tournament up. He has only crossed the 50-run mark once and averages 23.45 this season. If he does survive the Wayne Parnell threat, it might be game on in Hyderabad. 

Will Bangalore still continue to bench Hasaranga?

Bangalore playing without a notable wrist spinner in itself is a surprise. For years, they have had Yuzvendra Chahal donning the jersey and making batters dance to his music. Since his departure, they have had Wanindu Hasaranga do the same. But the stinging loss at the hands of Mumbai paved the way for Michael Bracewell to return to the picture. So much so, Hasaranga is now out of it. Interestingly, a lot of Hyderabad’s batters have had a good record against off-spin and collectively score at 7.8 RPO, at an average of 57.3. 

In that case, there is a lot for Bangalore to ponder. Would they bring Shahbaz Ahmed back in the setup, and use his left-arm spin in combination with the other spin options? But before the focus shifts to spin, Sunrisers' batting unit needs to survive and step up against the dominant force of Mohammed Siraj and Parnell. 

The challenge really is between the second-worst batting unit in the powerplay against the best bowling unit. 

What’s in the qualification store?

Following Mumbai’s loss against Lucknow, RCB have the upper hand. All they need is two straight wins, and they could find themselves in the playoff yet again under Mike Hesson. But the caveat here is that if they lose against Sunrisers, their last game against Gujarat could end up being inconsequential. 

The equation is pretty simple: win two, advance to the playoffs. Lose one, and pack your bags home. 

Ground Details

Unlike previous seasons, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad has failed to have an identity. The average first innings score at the venue is 173, and four out of the six games at the venue have been won by teams batting first. It is a weird pattern, and more importantly, the hosts - Sunrisers Hyderabad - have won just once. 

The pacers (46) have picked up more wickets than the spinners (27) here. Not just that, the pacers have a better average - 26.5, and a bowling strike-rate of 19.1 at the venue. So, expect teams to bat first, and bat strong. 

Tactical Nous

Go short at Tripathi

Rahul Tripathi has been pretty ordinary against pace this season, with nine dismissals. Seven dismissals have been against right-arm pacers, with two against left-arm pacers, and that’s primarily the threat that he is going to face against RCB in the powerplay. From one end, there is Siraj and from the other, Parnell. Five of those have been short balls, so it is a ploy worth trying for Bangalore

How can Sunrisers remove Faf du Plessis?

Long gone are the days when Faf used to get out to left-arm pacers. Now against that bowling type, he’s inhumane, with an average of 124 and a strike-rate of 172. That’s a lot. So, how do Sunrisers get him out? There is one bowling type that’s worth exploring and that’s leg-spin. Mayank Markande could be key in removing Faf. 

Against leg spin, Faf averages 38.3 but strikes only at 125 and has been dismissed thrice. So, that’s worth a shot. 

Team combination

Depending on the surface on offer, Bangalore might use their Impact Player option wisely, either subbing in Mohammed Siraj later or bringing in another spin option

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Anuj Rawat, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Michael Bracewell, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Karn Sharma, Wayne Parnell

SRH will hope to make a return following a staggering loss against Gujarat the other night. We could see either Vivrant Sharma or Sanvir Singh come in as an impact sub at some point but is this their best XI, nah. 

SRH probable XI: Abhishek Sharma, Anmolpreet Singh, Rahul Tripathi, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Abdul Samad, T Natarajan, Mayank Markande, Marco Jansen, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Fazalhaq Farooqi