Overview: -
On a Monday, to beat the blues, there is another Southern Derby between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad at Bengaluru. Sunrisers Hyderabad have won 3 matches out of 5 while Royal Challengers Bengaluru have won just 1 out of their 6 matches, they played so far.
Team Previews:
Head-to-Head Record: 22 matches; Bengaluru won 10, Hyderabad won 11, N/R 1
Position in 2023: RCB – 6th Position, SRH – 10th position
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: -
Royal Challengers Bengaluru have been in abysmal form in this season barring Virat Kohli, who is the leading run-scorer in IPL 2024 so far. Glenn Maxwell’s form is a major cause of concern with 33 runs in 6 matches played so far.
Although Maxwell strikes ball at 149 against SRH, but his IPL batting average at Bengaluru is a worrying 22 after playing 16 matches. So, it seems an uphill task to see Maxwell firing against SRH.
If RCB considers opening with Faf and Will Jacks and slot Kohli at No.3, then the death overs batting collapse might be avoided as Will Jacks recently scored a T20 century as an opener in 2024 Bangladesh Premier League, an unbeaten 108 off 53 balls.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: -
Sunrisers Hyderabad has an abysmal record at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, having lost 6 out of 8 IPL matches played here. Data driven SRH and Pat Cummins might be wary of the record and prepare in a way to beat RCB, who has lost more IPL matches then they have won at Bengaluru.
Pacers are firing well for SRH and only their weak link has been the spin department. Shahbaz Ahmed has never taken an IPL wicket at Bengaluru when he played for RCB in past seasons. So, bringing Washington Sundar as an impact player might do good for SRH and have a crack at an out-of-form RCB batters, as Glenn Maxwell has faced a single ball from Washington Sundar in IPL and got dismissed.
Probable Teams:
Sunrisers Hyderabad: -
Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klassen (WK), Shahbaz Ahmed, Abdul Samad, Pat Cummins (C), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T. Natarajan, Jaydev Unadkat, Washington Sundar
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: -
Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (C), Rajat Patidar, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Glenn Maxwell, Will Jacks, Alzarri Joseph, Mayank Dagar, Vijaykumar Vyshakh, Mahipal Lomror, Mohammad Siraj, Akash Deep
Weather and Pitch Report: -
Bengaluru is a batting paradise, so expect a run feast should RCB batsmen apart from Virat Kohli step up. Sunrisers Hyderabad’s batting line-up will lick their lips to bat first and put up a mammoth score, given their batsmen’s form.
Match Details: -
Time: 7:30 PM
Date: 15th April 2024
Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Live Streaming: Star Sports 1, 2 and Jio Cinema
Dream XI: -
