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In the third encounter of the longest IPL season, Sunrisers Hyderabad are set to lock horns with The Virat Kohli led Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Dubai International stadium. RCB will be looking to start their campaign on a winning note given that they have not managed to win the title yet.

On the other side, SRH are one of the strongest and most balanced teams in the IPL. The team has been doing a wonderful job under the captaincy of David Warner, which is well complemented by the bowling excellency of Rashid Khan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

SRH though had a good season in 2019 making it to the playoffs. While they will be looking to carry on that momentum coming into the tournament. RCB on the other hand had a nightmare season- finishing last in the table and managed to win only five of their 14 matches.

Head to Head

Matches-14, SRH- 7, RCB- 6, Tie- 1

Team News

Both the teams have not reported any injuries and all players seem fit to take the stage. As per RCB’s reports, It is likely that Devdutt Paddiakkal will make his debut for RCB. While, the new recruit of RCB- Aaron Finch will open the innings along with Parthiv Patel.

Pitch and Conditions

The weather is expected to be clear throughout the game with no chances of rain reported. The temperatures are expected to hover around the 33 degree range with humidity upto 66%. The pitch is reported to have no grass covering at all and is likely to aid the batsman to an extent at the start of the innings. 

As seen before the spinners will start to dominate things once the pitch starts to slow down and is expected to make the going tough for the batsmen.

With due expected to play a vital role later in the evening. Team winning the toss will be looking to bat second.

Probable Playing Xl

Sunrisers Hyderabad(SRH): David Warner (C), Jonny Bairstow, Manish Pandey, Vijay Shankar, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Siddarth Kaul, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Shahbaz Nadeem

Royal Challengers Bangalore(RCB): Aaron Finch, Parthiv Patel (wk), Virat Kohli (C), AB de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Yuzvendra Chahal. Navdeep Saini, Umesh Yadav, Adam Zampa

Key Battles

Virat Kohli vs Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan vs Virat Kohli

It would be one of the best moments of IPL when one of the best batsman in the world takes on one of the best bowlers in the game. The RCB captain holds the record for the most runs in the history of IPL, While the Afghani sensation holds the record for the best economy rate by a bowler in IPL. Kohli is undoubtedly one of the best players of spin bowling but Rashid khan has more than a trick to dismiss the best batsmen in the World. 

In the battle between the best batsman and best bowler. Who do you think will prevail?

David Warner vs Navdeep Saini

David Warner vs Navdeep Saini

The Australian Hard-hitter David Warner is the fourth highest run-scorer in the IPL and the highest among the foreign players. Though, his recent form will be a concern for the SRH team. The 33-year old was seen struggling against the likes of Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes in the ODI series against England. Navdeep Saini is someone who hits the deck hard. 

If Saini can get into the rhythm and if the Australian does not manage to get to his prime. We could well definitely see some high profile clash between the two.

Prediction

SRH are one of the teams that are well balanced and do not depend on one or two players to win the game. The team has highly potential players who are capable of handling tough situations. Given that SRH are a well settled side and will look to get things started in a positive way.

RCB, as seen in their latest press meetings seem a very fresh side and look like they left behind the emotional baggage behind them. The two world class batsman Kohli and ABD could take the game away from the opposition in no time. But with the bowling unit SRH possesses things would not be that easy for RCB.

The only way RCB could get things started on a winning note would be by dismissing the top-order of SRH cheaply. Which looks very difficult given the current form Jonny Bairstow is in.

Cricwizz prediction: Sunrisers Hyderabad to win the match