Match Details
Royal Challengers Bangalore v Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
Saturday, October 31st 2020
16:00 SA Time
IPL 2020: Match 52 – Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Sunrisers Hyderabad Preview, Prediction, Probable Playing XI and Value bets.
Betting Preview
It’s the last weekend of the league stage in this Indian Premier League and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will battle it out against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in match number 52 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Things are heating up in the race for the playoffs and both teams are very much in contention.
The Virat Kohli-led RCB side have wobbled a bit in the last couple of games. They have lost to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) while defending scores and in both of those games, they have failed to finish with a flourish. The bowling has been decent though. The batting is slightly dependant on the top four and despite the firepower in the middle-order, they haven’t got going at all. Hence, RCB will be hoping for that to get better.
They desperately need to bounce back as their qualification for the playoffs lingers around. One win would almost seal the spot but two wins in their remaining games will ensure they finish in the top-two. For that, they need their batting firepower to come to the party and the bowling to bind together nicely once again. If RCB lose both of their games, they might well be eliminated. Moreover, they have a tendency of crumbling under pressure too.
On the other hand, SRH have blown hot and cold constantly throughout this tournament. They are coming into this game on the back of a thumping win over Delhi Capitals. However, they have only five wins from 12 games and need to win both their remaining games and also, they need a few results to go their way if they want to stand a chance of qualifying for the playoffs. David Warner looked at his smashing best in the last game. Their middle-order still looks slightly shaky but Kane Williamson provides that stability. The bowling is reliant on Rashid Khan who has been outstanding. Hence, much will depend on the star overseas duo for SRH.
Injury and Availability News
Navdeep Saini split his webbing in the game against CSK and missed the last game for RCB. He is still recovering and might miss another game. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mitchell Marsh have been ruled out of the entire tournament. Meanwhile, Wriddhiman Saha injured himself in the last game and may have to miss this game.
Probable Playing XI
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Josh Philippe, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers (wk), Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Shivam Dube/Navdeep Saini, Chris Morris, Washington Sundar, Isuru Udana/Dale Steyn, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal
Sunrisers Hyderabad
David Warner (c), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Vijay Shankar, Jason Holder, Abdul Samad, Rashid Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Sandeep Sharma, T Natarajan
Key Players to watch out for
David Warner: In the absence of Jonny Bairstow, the SRH skipper David Warner just blazed away at the top of the order in the last game against Delhi Capitals. He smashed 66 in 34 balls and looked in sublime touch. He has scored 675 runs against RCB at an average of 48.21 and a strike-rate of 164.23.
Virat Kohli: In a vital game, the RCB skipper Virat Kohli will be itching to have a go. He has been sedate in the last few games. He has made 424 runs but he has struggled at times and just hasn’t got going. Hence, RCB will want to see a dominant Kohli in an important game.
Rashid Khan: The Afghanistan superstar has picked up 17 wickets and has been absolutely key in this SRH bowling attack. RCB have struggled to force the pace in the middle overs while Rashid Khan has dominated it. Hence, he will be crucial once again and his battle with the RCB middle-order will be one to watch out for
Value Betting
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Virat Kohli to be RCB’s top batsman at 1.90.
Yuzvendra Chahal to be RCB’s top bowler at 1.80.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
David Warner to be SRH’s top batsman at 1.80.
Rashid Khan to be SRH’s top bowler at 1.60.
Prediction: Royal Challengers Bangalore to win at 0.68.