Royal Challengers Bangalore will be squaring up against Sunrisers Hyderabad in match 52 of IPL 2021 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will be aiming to boost their chances of finishing in the top-2 with an eye over the first qualifier. RCB have been on a roll winning last 3 games on the trot. They will be up against a hapless SRH unit that has flattered to deceive this season.
RCB vs SRH: Form preview
Will RCB get to the top of the charts?
RCB’s campaign was halted briefly after landing in UAE. They suffered 4 defeats in their last 5 games. But RCB have made a stunning comeback. Their revival started with a big win over Mumbai. They then got the better of Rajasthan. RCB completed a hattrick of wins with victory over Punjab. The one common factor across these 3 wins was Glenn Maxwell. He scored 3 successive fifties helping RCB qualify for the playoffs. Yuzvendra Chahal too has joined the party picking wickets in a heap. RCB will be aiming to take the top 2 spot with a massive win over wooden spooners SRH as its RCB’s run rate that needs improvement.
Can SRH salvage some pride?
SRH were one of the pre-tournament favourites. They seemed to have had all the bases covered. But their campaign derailed even before it could take off. They not only axed David Warner from captaincy but also dropped him from the playing XI. But nothing could shake off SRH’s poor performance. Their constant chopping and changing didn’t help matters. SRH have just 2 wins from 12 games. They will be aiming to finish the league on a high. Can they turn it around against a quality side like RCB? Their fans will be expecting nothing less than that.
RCB vs SRH: Favourites?
Bangalore will be gunning for a big win against SRH in a bid to boost their net run rate. They will be up against a struggling SRH side who have now lost 10 games this season. Herein lies the opportunity for SRH to turn one over against RCB. SRH have nothing to lose now and this makes them dangerous.
Who will be the match-winners in this game?
AB de Villiers will be hungry to make a telling contribution against SRH.
Jason Roy is expected to lay down a great platform for SRH.
X-factor players:
Yuzvendra Chahal and Shahbaz Ahmed will fancy playing against SRH.
Rashid Khan will be aiming to restrict Maxwell in his tracks.
Probable playing XI:
Royal Challengers Bangalore predicted XI:
Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Srikar Bharat, AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Daniel Christian, Kyle Jamieson/George Garton, Harshal Patel, Mohammad Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal
Sunrisers Hyderabad predicted XI:
Jason Roy, Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Priyam Garg, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddharth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma
What do stats say about RCB vs SRH?
RCB and SRH have played 19 IPL games against each other.
RCB have won 8 games. SRH have won 10 matches.
RCB’s highest score against SRH is 227. SRH’s highest score against RCB is 231.
RCB’s lowest score against SRH is 113. SRH’s lowest score against RCB is 135.
Pitch:
The Sheikh Zayed Stadium has long square boundaries. Spinners will enjoy these long boundaries. There will be something in it for the pacers too. Batsmen can count on the true bounce of the surface.
Weather Report:
A high of 35 degrees and a low of 32 degrees is expected. There are no chances of rain. Dew might not play a big factor at this venue.
Ground stats:
A total of 52 matches has been played at this venue. Teams batting first have won 22 games while chasing teams have won 30. The average scoring batting first at this venue is 143. On the other hand, the average 2nd innings score is a paltry 135. Anything above 175 will be a par score.
StumpsandBails verdict:
RCB will aim to extend its winning run while SRH will look to play party poopers.
