IPL 2019: Match 11, SRH vs RCB, Preview: Virat Kohli's men face a daunting challenge at the Sunrisers' den

RCB has lost their last three matches in Hyderabad.

Published - 30 Mar 2019, 12:40 IST | Updated - 30 Mar 2019, 12:40 IST

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If the first home game of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) is anything to go by, then the match 11 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to be a cracker of a game. They will host the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) who are still searching for their first victory after playing two matches. This is the first time that they haven’t won a game after two outings which will make the Virat Kohli’s men more desperate to get on the board.

It was literally a run-fest in Hyderabad when the SRH faced the Royals. David Warner and Sanju Samson were the top batsmen as close to 400 runs were scored on the day. Though it was a flat deck, the form of the bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma and Siddarth Kaul will be a worry for the home side. They were taken apart by Andre Russell in their season opener and then by Sanju Samson in the death and definitely an improvement is needed in that department.

Amidst all this, Rashid Khan has been bowling well as usual and the batsmen made amends for a poor show with the ball for them. David Warner and Jonny Bairstow are in the great form which should be a huge relief for the Orange Army.

The RCB on the other hand, were hard done with a poor umpiring against the Mumbai Indians (MI). But they will have to put that disappointment behind quickly as it is no more going to get easy for them against the Sunrisers. Also, they were guilty of conceding too many despite having the opposition 7 down for 147 runs in the 18th over and there needs a massive improvement in the bowling from them as well.

Team Combination

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)

The Sunrisers have no reason to change their top six who did a fine job in the steep chase the other day. But there is a worry in the bowling department. Sandeep Sharma looks a weak link at the moment and he could be replaced by Khaleel Ahmed. The left-arm seamer could bring in variety and can trouble the opposition batsmen. Shahbaz Nadeem could get another chance while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Siddarth Kaul need to improve as well.

Probable XI: David Warner, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Vijay Shankar, Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shahbaz Nadeem, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

RCB’s bowling attack still looks weak and mostly in the death overs. Colin de Grandhomme has been poor, to say the least, and he should be definitely replaced by Tim Southee now. Southee’s inclusion means they will need one more batting all-rounder at seven and he could be Washington Sundar with Shivam Dube coming in at six. Navdeep Saini could be left out in that case.

Probable XI: Moeen Ali, Parthiv Patel (wk), Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Shimron Hetmyer, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Tim Southee, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Umesh Yadav.

Toss Update: Royal Challengers Bangalore won the toss and opted to field

Focus will be on

Kane Williamson (SRH)

Kane Williamson played his first game of the season on Friday and though he deemed fit, the Kiwi skipper looked uncomfortable at times. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) must be having a keen eye on him and Williamson’s batting form will be important. With Bairstow batting well, he has been forced to come down at three and the SRH captain has the ability to play through the innings with others batting around him freely.

Shimron Hetmyer (RCB)

There was a lot of excitement around Shimron Hetmyer before the tournament. But so far he has been an utter disappointment. Hetmyer has looked completely lost batting in the middle-order. With Marcus Stoinis and Nathan Coulter-Nile, who are playing in the UAE, set to join the team early next week, the Caribbean youngster has to make opportunities count soon before losing his place.