IPL 2020: Brad Hogg reckons Pat Cummins will be too hot to handle for Steve Smith
Former Australia left-arm unorthodox spinner Brad Hogg believes that Kolkata Knight Riders' fast bowler Pat Cummins will have the wood on Rajasthan Royals skipper Steve Smith in their next encounter on Wednesday.
Both know each other's game really well as they play for Australia and have faced one another multiple times in the nets.
KKR lost their first game of IPL 2020 against Mumbai Indians and one of the main reasons behind that was Pat Cummins' poor form with the ball.
Cummins, however, came back strongly in the second game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, helping KKR win comfortably. Hogg is of the opinion that Cummins will once again be at his best against RR, and will be difficult to handle for Steve Smtih as well as the other batsmen.
"KKR have won one and lost one. But the game that they lost, Pat Cummins had just come out of isolation, he did not have enough work under his belt. He was a little short and a little slow. But that second game, he found his pace and thus it is Pat Cummins against Steve Smith. I feel Pat Cummins will have too much pace, he will test Smith with the short ball and be successful and win the game for KKR," Brad Hogg said on his YouTube channel.
RR batsmen and bowlers will be confident going into the clash against KKR: Brad Hogg
After Delhi Capitals' loss against SRH last night, RR have become the table-toppers in IPL 2020 having won both their fixtures in the tournament so far.
In the first game, they defended a total of 216 while in the second match, the 2008 IPL champions successfully chased down a mammoth target of 224. Hogg believes that the RR batsmen and bowlers' confidence will be sky-high and the contest between KKR and RR is set to be a cracking one.
Click here to see IPL points table in 2020
"The Rajasthan Royals have got their tournament off to a great start. Two good wins straightaway. The good thing about them is that they chased down a huge total as well as defended a total. So batsmen and bowlers will go into this game quietly confident," Brad Hogg said.
Rajasthan Royals face the Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday in Dubai. Both the teams will be looking forward to continue their winning momentum.