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Preview : M52 - SRH vs RCB
15 May, 2015
Preview : M52 - SRH vs RCB
14 May, 2015
What
Sunrisers Hyderabad take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in one of the most crucial of the remaining fixtures of Pepsi IPL 2015.
Both teams have played 12 matches each and are separated by only one point. Both teams are in contention for a spot in the Playoffs; SRH have 14 points, while RCB have 13 points. A win in this match doesn’t necessarily guarantee either team a place in the final four, but it will certainly take them one step closer to the Playoffs.
Sunrisers Hyderabad should count as favourites – by a very slight margin – heading into this match. They have won their last three matches and will be playing at home. In their most recent outing, they defeated Kings XI Punjab by five runs after posting 185 runs on the board. Royal Challengers Bangalore meanwhile lost out to Kings XI Punjab in a truncated match in Mohali.
When
15 May 2015, 8p.m. IST
Where
Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad
The Protagonists
Numbers reveal the story of Sunrisers Hyderabad so far in Pepsi IPL 2015 best. Their skipper, and opening batsman, David Warner holds the Orange Cap and has been the innings top-scorer in six of the team’s 12 matches. Where RCB are concerned, they will want one of their top three – Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli or AB de Villiers - to cause the bulk of the damage with the bat.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has made good use of the new ball as he has always done, but his performance while bowling in the death has made everyone stand up and take note. What has been a delight with Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been the consistency with which he has landed the yorkers in the death overs. RCB will look towards Mitchell Starc to cause damage – especially early on, and dry the flow of runs.
Contests to look-forward to
Bhuvneshwar Kumar running in to bowl to Chris Gayle promises to be an interesting contest. The SRH bowler has so far dismissed the Jamaican on four occasions in seven matches international cricket, but is yet to dismiss him in the IPL. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has a reputation of troubling left-handers, and it will be interesting to see if he can work his magic against Gayle. When these two squared off in Bengaluru earlier this season, Gayle faced eight deliveries from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, batted out five dot balls, but also struck two boundaries.
Mitchell Starc bowling to David Warner too promises to be an interesting battle. There must be a level of familiarity too, given both play for the Australian national team and must have come up against each other in the nets frequently.
Previous Meetings
Sunrisers Hyderabad have a very slight edge where matches between them and Royal Challengers Bangalore are concerned. The two teams have so far clashed five times, and SRH have a 3-2 win-loss record in those matches.
When these two teams met in Bengaluru earlier this season, SRH chose to field first and then bowled out the hosts for 166. In their run-chase, David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan scored half-centuries at the top to set the platform, after which KL Rahul scored an unbeaten 44 to steer the team home.
Trivia
Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers are the only three RCB batsmen to post 50-plus scores this season; between them, they have eight innings of 50 or more. The highest score among the other players is David Wiese’s unbeaten 47 against the Mumbai Indians.
In their first three matches, RCB’s opponents had opening partnerships of 81, 82 and 47. However, since the arrival of Mitchell Starc, none of RCB’s opponents have managed an opening partnership of more than 36. The average opening partnership against RCB since the arrival of Chris Gayle is 19.00.
Sunrisers Hyderabad have the best average scoring rate in the Powerplay overs in Pepsi IPL 2015 – 8.46. RCB’s scoring rate in the Powerplay overs in Pepsi IPL 2015 is 8.00.
In the two Pepsi IPL 2015 matches played in Hyderabad, Sunrisers Hyderabad posted totals of 192 and 185, and won by margins of 22 runs and 5 runs respectively.
What Next
Both teams will be seen next on the final day of the league stage of Pepsi IPL 2015. RCB host the Delhi Daredevils in the penultimate match, while SRH play host to Mumbai Indians in the final league fixture.
