The Sunrisers Hyderabad have managed to come out victorious after the mad rush to the final playoff spot and elevated themselves from the last position just a week or so ago! They now take on the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Eliminator as they move one step closer to moving into the IPL 2020 Final.
RCB has lost its previous four matches and needs to shed off its rust. The side has lost form at just the wrong time and is going to be under immense pressure to get things right. Will we see some changes to the playing eleven for RCB or will they continue to keep faith with the people that got them so far?
There is everything to play for in this match. The winner is going to move on and the loser will end its IPL 2020 campaign.
The entire season seems to have changed around ever since Wriddhiman Saha was included as the opening batsman for SRH. He has been brilliant at the top of the order and so has filled in Jonny Bairstow's shoes easily. It has also allowed SRH to play Jason Holder and give themselves a genuine international all-rounder that contributes to both facets of the game.
The onus is going to be on David Warner and Wriddhiman Saha to continue batting as they have. If, however, one of them gets out early, which is going to happen at some point in time, then they have Manish Pandey and Kane Williamson in there as well.
Priyam Garg, Abdul Samad, and Jason Holder form an average middle-order at best but one that can get in some powerful hits when needed.
Everything is going to depend on Warner leading from the front once more.
Sandeep Sharma has been brilliant in the bowling department. He has been very successful against Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers for some reason. His ability to take wickets in the powerplay is going to make him a big threat once more.
With Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, and T Natarajan, SRH has a decent bowling lineup than can push RCB for sure.
RCB has made it into the playoffs after a four year gap and did so on the back of a four-match losing streak. That showed how well it played earlier and so the cushion it got was well deserved.
Now, however, it is time to get serious. RCB needs to get back to its best and not be tinkering around with its side.
It will be interesting to see if they continue to stick with Josh Phillippe at the top or bring back the experienced Aaron Finch. We think Phillipe will keep his spot because he played pretty well just a couple of matches ago.
RCB's batting is a bit thin with Chris Morris at 5 and Shivam Dube at 6. They are honest triers but it appears as if they are playing at least one or two positions above from where they should be.
One out of Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, or Ab de Villiers has to get a big score in this match otherwise things are going to be difficult.
The bowling is also a bit weaker without Navdeep Saini. Chris Morris and Mohammad Siraj have been decent while Yuzvendra Chahal is always difficult to score off. Isuru Udana, Washington Sundar, and Shahbaz Ahmed need to ensure they are at their best against Warner and co.
Weather Forecast
During the match the temperature is expected to be around 27-30 degrees celcius. Humidity will be around 46-50 per cent and wind speed will be about 14 kmph. There is no forecast of rain in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
Pitch Report
The pitch at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, has supported both the batsmen and the bowlers. There is a bit of extra bounce in the surface that has helped both the batsmen and the bowlers. Now that the surface has slowed-up, the spinners may be more of a threat. In the last few games in the league stage, the team batting second got the advantage. Dew plays a considerable role in the second innings as bowlers find it difficult to grip the ball.
Toss Prediction
It is expected that the skippers of both the teams will hope to win the toss, so that they could field first. The dimensions of the ground are bigger as compared to Dubai and a score in the range of 175+ will not be easy to chase down.
Stats and Facts
Head to head: Matches 17
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 9
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 7
Abandoned: 1
Approaching Milestones:
David Warner needs 5 sixes to complete 200 IPL sixes.
Wriddhiman Saha requires 21 runs to complete 2000 IPL runs.
Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal need 40 and 28 runs respectively to complete 500 runs in IPL 2020.
AB de Villiers requires 36 runs to complete 500 IPL runs against SRH.
Three more sixes will take Virat Kohli to 300 in T20s.
Jason Holder is 20 runs short of 1000 in T20s.
Likely XIs:
Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner (capt), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Priyam Garg/Abhishek Sharma, Jason Holder, Abdul Samad, Rashid Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Sandeep Sharma, T Natarajan.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Devdutt Padikkal, Josh Philippe, Virat Kohli (capt), AB de Villiers (wk), Shivam Dube, Chris Morris/Moeen Ali, Washington Sundar, Isuru Udana, Shahbaz Ahmed/Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Players to Watch Out For:
Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner, Wriddhiman Saha, Manish Pandey, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Chris Morris, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Match Odds:
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 1.80
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 2.20
SantaBanta's Winner Prediction: Royal Challengers Bangalore
IPL 2020 Winner Live Odds
Mumbai Indians - 1.727
Delhi Capitals - 5
Sunrisers Hyderabad - 6.5
Royal Challengers Bangalore - 7
Match Venue: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Time: 7.30 PM IST
TV: Star Sports Network
Live Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar VIP
