RCB’s last match was abandoned due to rain, which is why this match has been shifted to Lucknow, as there were more chances of rain. They won their last match against CSK by just 2 runs. Virat Kohli, Jacob Bethell, and Romario Shepherd scored half-centuries in that match. Lungi Ngidi took three wickets. Sunrisers Hyderabad won their last match against Lucknow Super Giants at the same ground by 6 wickets. Eshan Malinga took two wickets, while Abhishek Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen scored 40+ runs to chase down the target quite comfortably.
The Lucknow pitch is a bit tricky, sometimes the pacers get help and sometimes the spinners dominate. The average score of the first innings is 170 but the team chasing in the second innings wins more matches. Sometimes the ball spins so much that even the fast bowlers start spinning as New Zealand's Mitchell Santner once said. India once took 20 overs to chase 100 runs, then Hardik Pandya also criticized the pitch. Till now the highest score here is 235 and the lowest is 108, meaning sometimes high scoring also happens but mostly it is the bowlers' show.
In the last season, both had defeated each other once. Sunrisers had won one match by 25 runs and RCB by 35 runs. In 2023, RCB easily won by 8 wickets. If we look at the recent form, Royal Challengers Bengaluru seems to have a little upper hand, but the overall Head-to-Head record of Sunrisers is also strong.
Philip Salt(w)/Jacob Bethell, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Yash Dayal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Lungi Ngidi/Josh Hazlewood
Impact Players: Manoj Bhandage, Swapnil Singh, Rasikh Salam, Suyash Sharma
Injury Update: None
Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Kamindu Mendis, Pat Cummins(c), Harshal Patel, Harsh Dubey, Zeeshan Ansari, Eshan Malinga
Impact Players: Atharva Taide, Abhinav Manohar, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Shami
Injury Updates: None
Virat Kohli has scored 72 runs in 42 balls against Harshal Patel and has been out twice. Overall, Virat plays well against Harshal, his strike rate is also strong.
Ishan Kishan has played only 8 balls against Lungi Ngidi and has been out once after scoring 3 runs. Ishan struggles against Ngidi.
Abhishek Sharma has scored 34 runs in 23 balls against Yash Dayal and has been out twice. The fight between the two has been tight, but Khaleel has got him out twice.
Virat Kohli has become the most dependable batter for RCB this season. He has scored 505 runs in 11 matches, which includes 7 fifties. His average is above 63 which shows that he scores runs in every game. In the last few matches, he has scored scores like 73*, 70, 51 and 62. He controls the game by coming in the top order and is difficult to ignore after seeing his form. A safe pick, be it a small league or a grand league.
Josh Hazlewood has led the pace attack for RCB. He has taken 18 wickets in 10 matches and his recent form is also strong. In the last 3 games his figures have been 4/33, 2/36 and 3/14. He keeps his line-length perfect and is also effective in the death overs. If you need wickets then picking Hazlewood is a safe option.
Abhishek has created a lot of momentum for SRH by batting aggressively in the powerplay. He has scored 373 runs in 12 matches and a strike rate of 192 shows his attacking style. He has also scored a century this season. In the last few matches he has played important innings of 74 and 59. If he stays then the flow of the match can change. He is a top-order hard-hitter and a solid option for GL.
Cummins has shown impact with the ball along with captaincy. He took 13 wickets in 12 matches and in the recent match he bowled a spell of 3/19 against DC. His bowling makes the middle overs of SRH strong. Sometimes he takes useful runs with the bat as well, like he gave 19* against GT. He is a safe and experienced choice for bowling points.
Ishan has scored 231 runs so far and has also scored a century. In recent matches he has scored knocks of 44 and 35. He attacks and also gives the extra benefit of wicketkeeping. If runs are scored in the beginning then he can make a big score. There is a little risk but the upside is also high. He is a player worth trying in GL.
Krunal has given an all-round performance in the last few matches. He has taken 14 wickets in 11 matches and in batting he also hit a match-winning knock of 73* against DC. In recent games his bowling figures have been like 2/25, 2/31, 1/28. And the most important thing is, the match is in Lucknow which was the home ground of his old team LSG. He is familiar with the pitch conditions there and his record there is also good. There can be useful picks in both GL and SL.
Aniket Verma plays at the lower order and secondly, he needs a pitch where the ball comes on the bat. This is not just the story of Aniket but of every hard hitter. This will not happen in this match because RCB bowlers anyway bowl off the pace but on this pitch the ball comes slow sometimes.
Jitesh Sharma is a wicket keeper batter for Royal Challengers Bengaluru who plays in the lower order which gives him less opportunity to make an impact in the match. He can be avoiced in this match.
Keeper: Heinrich Klaasen, Ishan Kishan
Batters: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Atharva Taide
All-rounders: Abhishek Sharma, Jacob Bethell, Krunal Pandya
Bowlers: Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood/Lungi Ngidi, Harshal Patel
Keeper: Heinrich Klaasen, Ishan Kishan
Batters: Virat Kohli, Mayank Aggarwal, Atharva Taide
All-rounders: Abhishek Sharma, Jacob Bethell, Krunal Pandya
Bowlers: Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood/Lungi Ngidi, Harshal Patel
More Links