IPL 2016 Final, Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Sunrisers Hyderabad Final Match Preview: The Grand Finale
The Sunrisers Hyderabad proved to be the better team against the Gujarat Lions, beating them by 4 wickets in the second qualifier. Skipper David Warner pulled his team through, scoring 93 runs from just 58 deliveries including 11 4’s and 3 massive 6’s. The Sunrisers had a collapse in the middle orders, losing 5 wickets with 84 runs on the board before Warner’s spectacular innings.
The Sunrisers started this season with the tag of the underdogs but have now proved everyone wrong by grabbing a spot in the final.
This booked their place in the IPL final against the rampaging Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). RCB however, didn’t find it exactly easy to reach the finals and had their share of problems before their great run of form. The Challengers meanwhile were staring at the face of defeat in the first qualifier and it took an ABD special to rescue them and place them in the finals.
The final of VIVO IPL will take place at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore. With rain clouds will be looming over the city of Bangalore and chances are that rain might play a part in this match.
Match Date and Time: 29 May 2016, 8 pm (IST)
Match Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore.
Weather:
Temperature: Max 26°C, Min 23°C
Humidity: Max 87%
Wind: 7 km per hour
Pitch Report: Par-score 180. True batting wicket.
In-Depth Analysis:
Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Point of View
Positives:
The biggest advantage the Challengers have got is the ‘Home advantage’. The majority of the crowd will be supporting their home team and this will play a vital role in the game. The Challengers batsmen are well used to the wicket and the Bangalore wicket has been superb for batting in this season, with the highest total being 248 when Kohli and AB cut loose and scored centuries together.
The top 3 of the Challengers batsmen will be the main threats as they have the ability to single-handedly win the game. Skipper Virat Kohli has been in the form of his life, scoring 919 runs in 15 games including 4 centuries to his name. AB de Villiers played a great knock under pressure, scoring 79 runs from 47 balls and proved that the Challengers hold the advantage when batting second. If RCB find themselves in a chasing situation, they will always bank on the fact that one of their top 3 batsmen should finish the job for them.
Negatives:
The Spinners did not have a good day in the bowling department and they were hit with ease against the Gujarat Lions in the First Qualifier. The bowling department has some room for improvement and they will have to come good against the Sunrisers.
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Point of View
Positives:
The presence of David Warner in the top order will be the main plus for the Sunrisers, especially with their inconsistencies in the batting department. Warner has been the crux of the Hyderabad unit and has won them many games for the Sunrisers in this season, scoring 779 runs in 16 innings. The hard-hitting Australian is just behind Virat Kohli in the race for the Orange cup.
In addition to the presence of Warner, the Sunrisers have a few big-hitting batsmen in their team in the form of Yuvraj Singh and Moises Henriques, who can be quite a handful on their day.
The bowling department has been in excellent shape throughout this season. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar is leading the race for the purple cap with 23 wickets in 16 games. He has been bowling in the death overs as well and he has done an amazing job with his slower bouncers, foxing the batsman on most occasions.
Negatives:
The middle order batsmen lost their way again against the Gujarat Lions and they were fortunate enough that their Skipper pulled them through to the final. They cannot rely on Warner to perform in every game and it is time that they proved their worth against the Challengers.
This will be a power-packed ‘Final’ and the spectators will witness a cracker of a contest between the fiery Sunrisers bowlers and explosive Challengers batsmen.