Another famous south Indian derby on the cards as last year’s runner up Sun Risers Hyderabad taking on Kohli’s RCB at Hyderabad and SRH will look to continue the same run this year also. One of the most consistent teams in the history of the Indian premier league Sunriser’s Hyderabad side is boosted with the arrival of their regular captain David Warner after a 12-month ban. Unlike last year this year, the team won’t heavily rely on their top order. Due to this lower middle order got exposed last year, which costs them heavily. With the arrival of new players in their ranks, the side has boosted a lot and is expected to perform much better than last season.
RCB on the other hand lead by flamboyant Virat Kohli has got few star players in their ranks. Like SRH their lower middle order also lacked consistency and failed many times, which led to their disastrous outing last season. This time team management has sensed the issue and added a few exciting players like Marcus Stonis in their team which can bring a much-needed boost to their lower middle order. With Nathan Coulter Nile and Tim Southee along with Umesh Yadav in their ranks, their bowling looks more solid this time and they have also got few all-rounders which make a big impact in their line-up.
Team Statistics:
SRH clearly takes upper hand in terms of most numbers of victories between these two sides as they have won 7 out of 13 matches played against each other. On the other hand, RCB has emerged victorious in 5 occasions. When it comes to their home ground Hyderabad SRH has been the dominant side as they won 5 out of 6 matches they played against each other. Virat Kohli is the highest run-getter between these two sides with 485 runs and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar is leading the wickets table with 12 scalps.
What To Expect Between These Two Sides
As mentioned earlier with the inclusion of Vijay Shankar, Johny Bairstow and Martin Guptill have boosted their batting unit which seeks for more consistency. Their bowling spearhead by Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and ably supported by premium spinner Rashid khan their bowling unit is one of the strongest bowling units among other IPL Teams. In fact, they are the only side who took 100 wickets in an IPL season. With a handful of all-rounders down the order, the team looks more balanced and is looking to emerge as the title winners the chance they had missed last time.
RCB has also got a similar problem like SRH as their lower middle order got exposed in many times which led to their downfall. After a disastrous outing, last season RCB will look to come back on track by sealing a playoff berth. Another important aspect that RCB needs to concentrate is their team combination as they have got many players in their ranks finding the right combination that can pull off a victory is need of an hour for them.
Players To Watch Out For SRH (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
Vijay Shankar
This Tamil Nadu batting all-rounder has suddenly come into radar after a stunning tour of New Zealand. One of the bright prospects of Indian cricket Vijay Shankar can able to his presence felt this year for SRH. With the world cup around the corner, a great performance will be bought him the ticket for the Indian team that is heading to the world cup.
Rashid Khan
One of the dynamic leg spinners in the current arena Rashid Khan has got success across all over the globe. He is expected to be at his prime that will increase the SRH’s chance of sealing the victory. It will be the last chance for him to horn his skills before the world cup so he will be looking to be in his prime this season.
Players To Watch Out For RCB (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Virat Kohli
As the Indian team, RCB also heavily depends on Virat Kohli to come good in order to increase their chance of winning matches. With world cup scheduled in a few months, Virat Kohli will be looking to be in prime touch before the world cup. So he will take this as an opportunity to fine tune his skills prior to the world cup.
Shimron Hetmeyer
One of the bright hopes of Windies cricket Simron Heitmeyer is the player to watch out for this season. His ability to attack the cricket ball and his ability to play spin makes him so special. His contribution in the lower middle order is crucial for RCB to pull off a victory.
Final words:
Both teams are very exciting on paper, but SRH considering their home advantage and record they can win this match if they play up to their potential.
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