It will be the repeat of the 2016 finals when Royal Challengers Bangalore takes on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 3rd game of IPL 2020. Virat Kohli will lead the RCB once again and remain the only player to play all his IPL since its inception for the red team. David Warner will take over the reins as SRH skipper from Kane Williamson. They both will want to make sure their respective team will put on a better performance than last season.
RCB has a well-balanced squad this season which even their captain Virat Kohli acknowledged. So one might get a feeling this is their best chance yet for IPL glory. They have bought a few of the best T20 cricketers in Aaron Finch and Chris Morris in auctions.
The Warner led SRH side is a top-heavy side and has a great bowling line up as well. The only weakness of this team has to be their middle-order which is very inexperienced. Even their last year’s captain isn’t guaranteed of finding a place in the playing XI.
Key players from both sides:
Batsman – Virat Kohli, David Warner, Manish Pandey, and Ab De Villiers.
The partnership between AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli is crucial for RCB this season also. They also have an able company in Aaron Finch who with his experience can help the duo. David Warner will have to lead from the front once again. But the middle-order is little weak, so SRH will hope that Manish Pandey coming at No.3 stays till the end anchoring the innings.
All Rounders – Moeen Ali, Chris Morris, Mohammad Nabi, Vijay Shankar.
Mohammad Nabi knows a thing or two having played many games in UAE before in PSL, so SRH can expect him to do well as a finisher and a off spinner. Chris Morris and Moeen Ali are hard hitters of the ball. Moeen can bowl in Powerplays if required and Morris is brilliant at death. The talented Vijay Shankar could be a dark horse for SRH with his variations and batting in the middle order.
Bowlers – Yuzi Chahal, Rashid Khan, Navdeep Saini, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Going by the first game, the spinners will make a huge impact on the game. So with high quality wrist spinners from the sides, we can expect them to come good for their respective teams. Bhuvneshwar didn’t have the best of tournaments last but his bowling styke suits UAE conditions. Navdeep Saini is one of the most improved young Indian bowlers going around.
Battles to look forward
- Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers vs Rashid Khan
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar vs Aaron Finch
- Yuzi Chahal vs David Warner
If we take a look at last year’s IPL, Virat and AB both were dismissed by Shreyas Gopal more than once. Left arm spinners like Krunal Pandya have troubled Villers in the past. So it will be an interesting between Rashid Khan and the RCB duo. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has always bowled well against the dangerous Finch, especially with his in swingers and this could be a contest not to miss. David Warner didn’t have the best limited overs series in England recently and had constant troubles playing Adil Rashid. So Chahal might challenge him.
Head to Head between RCB and SRH
- Matches Played: 15
- RCB Won: 6
- SRH won: 8
Significant Approaching Milestones
1- Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Singh, Priyam Garg, or Abdul Samad can make their IPL debut if they play in this contest.
4- Dale Steyn requires 4 more scalps to reach 100 IPL wickets mark.
Match conditions
Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai.
Date & Timings: September 21, 2020, at 7.30 PM IST.
Weather: Clear with the temperature around 35-36 C.
Pitch: Likely to be on the slower side with possible due later on.
Probable Playing XI
Sunrisers Hyderabad
David Warner(C), Jonny Bairstow(WK), Manish Pandey, Priyam Garg/ Virat Singh, Vijay Shankar, Abdul Samad/ Abhishek Sharma, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sidharth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Aaron Finch, Devdutt Padikkal/ Parthiv Patel, Virat Kohli(C), Ab De Villiers(WK), Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali, Chris Morris, Washington Sundar, Yuzi Chahal, Navdeep Saini, Umesh Yadav.
