Just 3 matches more..Yes, the longest season of the Indian Premier League will come to an end on the 10th of November and we are just two matches away from witnessing the champions of the IPL 2020. This time though there are two teams in the play- offs who have never won the title before- Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Delhi Capitals. Can one of them go ahead and claim the title?
Though Delhi Capitals have two opportunities to reach the finals, courtesy of finishing second on the table. While the Royal Challengers Bangalore have just one shot at it and they will be all set to take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The Eliminator is set to be played on the 6th of November.
The teams have met two times this season and they stand 1-1. The first match saw the RCB put up a score of 163 on the board and a brillant bowling effort from their pacer Navdeep Saini and Leggie Yuzvendra Chahal ensured that they managed to win the match by 10 runs. While the second match was a complete turn around, the Challengers were restricted to a below par score of 120 runs by the SRH bowlers who did a magnificent job to keep picking up the wickets. The SRH batsmen made easy work of the chase as the reply was completed in a mere 14 overs.
Sunrisers will come into this match on the back of a stunning 10- wicket win over the table toppers Mumbai Indians and for that reason will feel much more confident than the RCB side, who were defeated by the Delhi Capitals by a margin of 6 wickets.
The teams once chance here and a defeat here would end their campaign. Can Virat and Kohli pull up their socks and come back strong? Or will the Sunrisers Hyderabad make easy work of the RCB team and continue their march towards their 2nd IPL title?
Head to Head
Matches Played- 16, SRH- 8, RCB- 7, Tie- 1
Team News
Sunrisers Hyderabad were struck with huge blows at the beginning of the tournament as their key players were not able to make the playing Xl due to injuries. They have done an incredible job in overcoming that and with their key players like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and all- rounder Vijay Shankar ruled out from the tournament, it meant the youngsters had to take the roles. They did do a wonderful job and the 10- wicket win would have done wonders in their confidence. SRH are likely to go ahead with the same Xl that won the match against the mighty MI.
While the Royal Challengers Bangalore too had an injury concern with their spearhead Navdeep Saini having issues with his webbing. But the latest reports say that the pacer is all set to take the field. Said that, the RCB would prefer the same Xl that played against the Delhi side with the only chance being that of Navdeep Saini replacing Shahbaz Ahmed.
Pitch and Conditions
The pitch in Abu Dhabi has always been on the slower side and as the tournament has progressed it has made it even more in favor of the bowlers. Said that, the last few matches which we saw take place here were pretty high- scoring encounters. The last match here was played by RCB and Delhi Capitals and the Capitals managed to chase down the score of 152 with ease. Given the conditions and data from the last matches a score of 170 by the team batting first could put the chasing team under pressure.
A beautiful day for cricket is on the cards as clear skies are expected throughout the day. The temperatures have eased down in the last few days and is expected to be hovering around the 24- 30 degree range. While, the humidity at peak could reach the 62 percent mark.
With the match scheduled to be played in the evening, the due is almost certain to play a role in this all important clash.
Probable Playing Xl
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH): David Warner (c), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Priyam Garg, Jason Holder, Abdul Samad, Rashid Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Sandeep Sharma, T Natarajan
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB): Devdutt Padikkal, Josh Philippe, Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers (wk), Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Isuru Udana, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal
Key Battles
David Warner (SRH) vs Washington Sundar (RCB)
David Warner- What a player he has been for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. The Australian once again proved how he can single- handedly win games for his team as he was seen scoring a spectacular 85 runs enroute a thrilling 10 wicket win over the mighty MI. He will know he has to replicate the performance once again to make sure his team can move further into the tournament. He is currently the second highest run- getter in this season and is 141 runs behind the purple cap holder KL Rahul.
While, the one person who can trouble even the most in- form batsman now is the young all- rounder Washington Sundar. The Indian has done a wonderful job in containing the batsmen, he has the second best bowling economy in this season. RCB will know the importance of the Australian’s wicket and will be hoping Sundar can deliver the goods.
Can the pocket Dynamite once again dominate the proceedings? Or will it be the youngster who gets the big fish?
Devdutt Padikkal (RCB) vs Sandeep Sharma (SRH)
What a find… Devdutt Padikkal, the 20- year old has been the perfect opener a team can have and he is one of the main reasons for the RCB to make it to the play- offs. His consistency has been appreciated all over the cricket world and he already looks the future of Team India. He is just 28 runs away from reaching the 500 runs milestone and if he gets there he will be the youngest player to get to 500 runs in the debut season. But the youngster would be more focused on providing the RCB the solid start with which the middle- order can capitalize on.
SRH do have the triumph card in the form of Sandeep Sharma. The pacer has picked more than 100 wickets in the tournament and is only one of 16 players to have done that. The pacer has been one of the most under- rated Indian bowlers and has unfortunately has made it to the Indian team selector’s radar. Though he could now, if he manages to run through the RCB batting line-up.
Can the youngster keep piling on the runs? Or will the most under-rated bowler of the tournament make a statement?
Prediction
On the sheets the Sunrisers look a better side as they have been doing a wonderful job with both the bat and ball. The last time the two met the Sunrisers made easy work of the Challengers. Though this is a different situation as the eliminator is all about who holds their nerve.
The conditions though look in favor of the SRH. The Abu Dhabi pitch has been on the slower side and that would mean Rashid Khan will have a very important role and if he gets into his rhythm the RCB batsmen will have a tough time. Given the recent form of the players and the dominating win by SRH against the table toppers MI. The Sunrisers have the edge in this encounter.
Cricwizz predicts Sunrisers Hyderabad to win the match