IPL 2021: "SRH don't have as much depth as some other teams in the IPL"- AB de Villiers
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star batsman AB de Villiers fancies his team's chances against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), whom they face in their second IPL 2021 match on Wednesday.
The usually modest South African believes that SRH could be there for the taking, as they don't have much depth in their ranks. However, AB de Villiers was quick to add that SRH bowlers are skilful and smart, and can be dangerous if allowed to get back in the game.
Following their win on the opening day of the season, RCB will be keen to build on that performance when they take on SRH tonight. Speaking about RCB's next opponents, AB de Villiers said in a video released by his team:
"It's a nice attack to face. It's a good challenge. I always enjoy playing against them. You can get hold of them, which we have done before. But they can also challenge you with their skill, and they are always smart. So it's a matter of us really getting out there and making sure we get some partnerships going".
AB de Villiers continued:
"And once we get on top of them, they are a kind of team you can really dominate. They don't have as much depth as some other teams in the IPL. So if we get hold of them, we really got to make sure we don't allow them back into the game because that is where they get really dangerous".
AB de Villiers was the star for RCB in their first game of the season against the defending champions, Mumbai Indians. The wicketkeeper-batsman scored a quickfire 47 off 28 balls to ensure that RCB prevailed in a tight encounter.
How did AB de Villiers fare against Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2020?
RCB squared off with the Hyderabad-based franchise three times last season, winning once and losing twice. One of their defeats came in the all-important eliminator, where SRH were able to restrict RCB to 131 in the first innings.
AB de Villiers had a fruitful run against SRH, managing scores of 51 off 30 balls, 24 off 24 and 56 off 43 in the three games against the Hyderabad-based franchise last season.
Overall in the IPL, the South African has scored 520 runs in 15 games against SRH, doing so at an average of 37.14, while his strike rate is an impressive 157.58.
RCB will hope their star batsman brings his A-game to the fore against SRH in Chennai on Wednesday.