IPL 6: Eliminator – RR vs SRH – Rajasthan Royals Preview

The second of the playoff matches in the IPL will feature inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals and debutants Sunrisers Hyderabad. While the Rajasthan Royals were assured of a place in the playoffs with 2 games to spare, Sunrisers Hyderabad had to wait till their final league match of the season to edge ahead of the Royal Challengers Bangalore and grab the final fourth spot in the table.

Rajasthan Royals have so far punched above their weight in this IPL. They have outperformed some of the more fancied teams like Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore this season. Not a bad achievement at all for a team which is led by a 41- year-old who is not considered ideal for a slam-bang tournament like the IPL.

The Royals team reflects the captain’s mentality on the field; they are not the most flamboyant bunch of players you will ever see, but they more than make up for it by hard work and team bonding. This season, they have unearthed some good players like Sanju Samson and Stuart Binny. Sanju Samson, 18, has so far scored 196 runs. It is not the quantity of runs but the way he has scored those runs that matters; he looks as if he belongs to this level of cricket.

Another player who has done wonders under Dravid’s leadership is Stuart Binny; he seems to enjoy the responsibility of being an all-rounder. There is not much spotlight on you if you are playing alongside an all-rounder of Shane Watson’s calibre, and Binny seems to enjoy that as much as anything.

On the bowling front, James Faulkner has been the man who has delivered for the Royals consistently this season. He has 26 wickets to his name so far, two behind the purple cap holder Dwayne Bravo. However, it must be added that he has played three matches lesser than Bravo. In the two matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad in particular, Faulkner has destroyed the SRH batting single-handedly, picking up a five-wicket haul in both matches. And to cap it off, he is the only player in T20 cricket to do that in one season. RR fans will be hoping for a similar performance.

Over the course of the tournament, Rajasthan has looked like a team that can go on and match the feat of the first season, when they won the title under the leadership of Shane Warne. But behind closed doors, there is more to it than what meets the eye. Three Rajasthan players were caught by Delhi police for alleged involvement in spot-fixing after the match against Mumbai Indians. The team owners and captain Rahul Dravid are in shock at the moment. They are having to look at off-field activities more than on-field proceedings, which is not ideal for any team heading in to the match of such magnitude.

To emphasize the point, just have a glance at their last league fixture, incidentally against the Sunrisers, which was played immediately in the aftermath of spot-fixing saga. They looked completely listless, it was as if their mind was not the field, and they were just going through the motions. It is the mental toughness of an individual that comes to the fore in such instances. A captain can inspire to only a certain extent, but ultimately it is an individual’s responsibility to get his act together, and we are talking about the professional players who earn millions. Fans will be hoping they are not distracted by all the wild allegations being made.

Pitch and conditions:

Going by what happened in the yesterday’s match, where Chennai Super Kings posted a mammoth target of 193 coupled with Dwayne Smith’s explosive start for Mumbai, the pitch looks like a batman’s paradise, and it won’t change in 24 hours, so expect a high scoring thriller.

Team news:

Heading into such a crunch match, it is difficult to see Rahul Dravid making too many changes; especially that his hands are now tied because of the spot-fixing saga. Dishant Yagnik may replace Sachin Baby in order to bolster their batting.

Watch out for:

Shane Watson: The importance of this man to Rajasthan Royals cannot be played down. His return to bowling has opened up an extra slot in the team for another player, while his batting has set up some of their biggest wins this season, including the one against Sunrisers at Jaipur earlier in the season. The Royals have used him smartly, pushing him down the order when they needed to chase big targets, and using his big-hitting skills to set the team up for quick starts at the top of the order.

Prediction:

As harsh as it may sound, if Rajasthan Royals don’t put their house in order then it will be a walk in the park for their opponents Sunrisers Hyderabad.