What

Match 27 of VIVO IPL 2016 will see a return contest between two teams placed in the bottom half of the standings – Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

SRH have three wins and as many defeats. In their most recent outing – a truncated match on Tuesday, David Warner’s side lost to Rising Pune Supergiants after posting a below-par 118-8.

Royal Challengers Bangalore are back in action after a 5-day break. RCB have two wins from five matches – a stat that doesn’t do justice to the riches they have in their team. RCB have been exceptional on the batting front; they’ve not only piled on the big runs, but have also scored them quicker than any other team this season. It is the bowling department that continues to be a cause of worry; that the bowling side has failed to defend scores of 191, 170 and 180 tells the story by itself.

When

30 April 2016, 2000 Hrs IST

Where

Rajiv Gandhi Intl. Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad

Weather

Temperature: Max 33°c, Min 27°c
Humidity: Max 54%
Wind: 11kmph

The Protagonists

In the Sunrisers’ three wins this season, David Warner has led from the front; the left-hander made scores of 90*, 74* and 59. However, in the two matches he has failed – being dismissed for 13 against KKR and 0 against RPS, SRH have managed below-par scores of 142 and 118 and have been beaten hands down by their opponents. That illustrates how much of an influence the Australian has had on his team’s fortunes. The other left-hander at the top of the order Shikhar Dhawan has the confidence of a few runs behind him – he has made 53*, 45 and 56* in the last three innings and SRH would benefit immensely if he can step on the accelerator now and play the attacking brand of cricket he is known for.

Virat Kohli, fresh from an unbeaten century in the previous match, and AB de Villiers have been in rich form so far this season; the duo have contributed nearly 70% of the runs scored by the team. One can only imagine how much damage RCB can cause with the bat, if Chris Gayle – who has rejoined the team after a quick dash to Jamaica, and Shane Watson get going too. With Samuel Badree and Mitchell Starc ruled out of the rest of the season, the team needs to figure out a solution to their bowling woes. The RCB management will hope the addition of Chris Jordan, who had a very successful World T20, will give them more control with the ball.

Head to Head

Royal Challengers Bangalore have a 4-3 win-loss record against Sunrisers Hyderabad. RCB hold the minute edge, courtesy their 45-run win in Bengaluru earlier this season. On that occasion, RCB posted 227-4 – riding on a 157-run partnership between Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers – and then restricted SRH to 182-6.

Trivia

Royal Challengers Bangalore have batted first in all their five matches so far this season. On four occasions, they were put in to bat by the opposition captain, while in the match against the Gujarat Lions, captain Virat Kohli won the toss and decided his batsmen would take first strike.

Sunrisers Hyderabad have successfully chased down targets in three of the four matches in which they’ve had to bat second.

David Warner and Virat Kohli have the two-best batting averages among IPL captains; Warner averages 47.58 in the 22 IPL matches he has been captain, while Kohli averages 43.79 as captain of RCB.

What Next

It is now Sunrisers Hyderabad’s turn to enjoy a break. The team will be out of action for five days before their next outing, which is a home fixture against the Gujarat Lions, scheduled for 8pm on 6 May 2016. Royal Challengers Bangalore will be seen in action on May 2, when they take on the Kolkata Knight Riders at Bengaluru.