RCB vs SRH Preview: Bengaluru look to revive themselves at Chinnaswamy
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) face Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in a crucial encounter in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on Monday, April 14.
RCB have just one win to show for their efforts from six matches and it is gradually getting near the dreaded do-or-die stage for them. Meanwhile, SRH has shown glimpses of how dangerous a team they can be. Out of the five matches they have played, Pat Cummins and Co. have won three and lost two. RCB are placed at the bottom of the table, whereas SRH is at No. 4.
Hyderabad’s top order has been at its destructive best. Aiden Markram, Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, and Heinrich Klaasen have all scored some quick runs for their team. Abdul Samad has scored some important runs at the death and young Nitish Reddy’s Player of the Match-winning must have been a delight for the management. Meanwhile, Pat Cummins has been the standout bowler, using his variations to great effect. T Natarajan has also been good at the death. Bhuvneshwar Kumar also did well in the last game and would take confidence from it.
For RCB, the Australian duo of Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green has been the biggest let-down. The former has scored just 32 runs from six innings at an average of 5.33. However, Virat Kohli has been in solid form and is the current holder of the Orange Cap. Faf du Plessis and Rajat Patidar also scored their first half-centuries of the season in their last game and that should give the RCB faithful some hope. There hasn’t been much to write home about as far as the bowling department is concerned. Mohammed Siraj, who was expected to lead the pack, has struggled to do justice to his potential. Reece Topley has done well since he came into the XI and would love to get some more support from his fellow bowlers.
Head to Head
Sunrisers have the upper hand on Bengaluru in the head-to-head scoreline. The former champions have won 12 matches, while Bengaluru have emerged victorious on 10 instances. One game ended without a result.
Probable Playing XI
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Cameron Green, Rajat Patidar, Will Jacks, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Mahipal Lomror, Mayank Dagar, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal Impact Sub – Vijaykumar Vyshak
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, Nitish Reddy, Rahul Tripathi, Henrich Klassen (wk), Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins (c), Mayank Markande, Jaydev Unadkat, Bhuvneshwar Kumar Impact Sub – T Natarajan
Pitch Report
Sunrisers Hyderabad batters would enjoy playing at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The venue is known for producing some exquisite batting pitches and the boundaries are on the shorter side. Two out of the three games have been won by chasing sides at the Chinnaswamy this season, with 180 being the average first-inning score. Teams prefer to chase at this venue and the toss-winning captain is highly likely to opt for the same.
