IPL 2018, RCB vs SRH Match Prediction: Who will come out on top between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad
With the league stage gradually coming to a close, the Royal Challengers Bangalore will be up against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in a do-or-die battle at Bangalore. Both teams will be heading in this match at the back of contrasting results in their previous matches.
While SRH were beaten by CSK at Pune, RCB thrashed Kings XI Punjab at Indore. The last time both these teams faced one another was 10 days ago and Sunrisers came victorious by a paltry margin of 5 runs. This one too, is expected to be an exciting clash.
Sunrisers Hyderabad have already booked their place in the playoffs so this match is a mere formality for them. However, for Virat Kohli &co., this is a battle for survival.
A win for SRH will keep them jolted at the top position while RCB will be eliminated. On the other hand, if RCB win, they could go up to 4th position in the table due to a superior net run rate.
Date: May 17
Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Time: 20:00 IST
If Royal Challengers Bangalore bat first
Predicted Score: 180+
In the last five matches that have been played at Bangalore, RCB's average score has been 184.2. RCB have a star-studded batting lineup comprising of the likes of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. both of whom have been showing some brilliant performances lately.
Kohli scored 70 from just 40 deliveries against Delhi Daredevils and scored a 28-ball 48 in RCB's last game against KXIP. ABD scored a brilliant knock of 72 from just 37 deliveries against DD.
Apart from Kohli and De Villiers, the Royal Challengers have the likes of Parthiv Patel, Mandeep Singh and Sarfaraz Khan who have the capability to deliver big with the bat against the SRH bowling.
In Moeen Ali and Colin de Grandhomme, the three-time runners-up have two reliable all-rounders who can elevate the scoring rate and can also take wickets.
RCB's bowling has the likes of Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Tim Southee who can be a menace to any batting lineup. Mohammed Siraj is also a formidable bowler who can deliver with the ball for RCB.
If SRH bat first
Predicted score: 180+
Sunrisers Hyderabad's batting also has some massive firepower in them. The likes of Alex Hales and Shikhar Dhawan can always be relied upon to give them solid starts in the powerplay overs.
Then, they have skipper Kane Williamson who has been their talisman throughout the tournament with his consistency with the bat and with his charisma as a leader. The middle order has Shakib al Hasan who is always a threat due to his abilities with both bat and ball. The likes of Manish Pandey and Yusuf Pathan have the caliber to deliver big with the bat.
SRH also have Deepak Hooda who can elevate the run rate of the innings with his pinch hitting.
SRH may not play Wriddhiman Saha in tonight's match as they might be looking to give the keeper some time to get back to full fitness after sustaining a shoulder injury. His backup Shreevats Goswami has been pretty good behind the stumps so far.
SRH's biggest asset so far has been their bowling. They have Bhuvneshwar Kumar who can always be relied upon to get them crucial wickets during the powerplay and death overs.
The likes of Sandeep Sharma and Siddarth Kaul have been pretty impressive and so has been Rashid Khan. These three always pose a threat to any batting lineup.
Prediction
With RCB's campaign showing some life, it is fair to say that both teams are pretty evenly matched.
However, there is one edge that SRH hold over RCB and that is consistency in their bowling department. Both teams have very strong batting lineups with RCB having a slight edge but when it comes to bowling, SRH have an advantage.
The bowling was the reason why the Sunrisers managed to beat the Royal Challengers at Hyderabad and even though, RCB are playing on their home turf, SRH might just manage to edge out a win and put an end to their campaign.
RCB vs SRH Live Score