IPL 2019 – Match 54: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Sunrisers Hyderabad – RCB Predicted Playing XI

In their last game, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) became the first team to get officially knocked out of the 2019 IPL. Their playoff chances were virtually over after their loss against Delhi Capitals. However, it was after the washout against Rajasthan Royals (RR) that all the possibilities were thrown out of the window.

RCB have been poor throughout the season. They did try to make a late comeback but it lasted only for a short while. They won four out of five games in the middle to rekindle a few hopes but all those hopes were short-lived after they lost to the Delhi Capitals on Sunday (April 28). RCB have missed Moeen Ali dearly in the last couple of games. He was in really good form but had to leave the tournament midway as he flew back to England due to national duty.

They have just one game to go and skipper Virat Kohli has stressed on enjoying the game for quite a while now. RCB take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in their final game of the 2019 edition. The M Chinnaswamy Stadium will play host as RCB look to bid adieu to this season on a high.

Openers (Parthiv Patel (wk), Virat Kohli (c))

Parthiv Patel has been the enforcer for RCB in the powerplay. He’s taken the attack to the opposition early on and has taken quite a bit of pressure off Virat Kohli at the start of the innings. He came into bat at No. 6 in the last game as it was reduced to a five-over affair. However, he should be back at the top of the order for RCB’s final game of the season.

Virat Kohli has now gone four innings in a row without crossing the 30-run mark. This is something that’s a little rare. However, he looked in great touch in the last game when he scored a 7-ball 25 before holing out. Hence, the RCB skipper will look to end the season with a substantial score.

Middle-order (AB de Villiers, Shimron Hetmyer, Gurkeerat Singh Mann)

Like quite a few previous seasons, AB de Villiers has been the backbone of the RCB batting line-up alongside Virat Kohli. He’s amassed 441 runs this season and has looked in good touch. Meanwhile, Shimron Hetmyer may get a game as Henrich Klaasen has failed to inspire any confidence in the last couple of games. He’s scored just nine runs in the two innings this year and has struggled against spin.

Gurkeerat Singh Mann was introduced late and has played a couple of matches. He looked decent in the game against Delhi as he scored 27 off 19 balls. He will most likely continue to hold on to his spot and float around in the middle-order and will likely bat according to the match situation.

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All-rounders (Shivam Dube, Pawan Negi)

Marcus Stoinis was a reliable option in the middle for RCB. However, he has gone back to Australia in order to prepare for the upcoming World Cup. Colin de Grandhomme and Shivam Dube seem like for like replacements. However, with De Grandhomme having failed big time earlier this season, the latter might get another opportunity.

Pawan Negi was dropped a couple of games ago as Washington Sundar got a go. However, he was brought back in the last game considering the number of right-handers in the Rajasthan line-up. If Kohli continues to think in a similar fashion, Negi will most likely hold on to his place as SRH batting line-up is filled with right-handers.

Bowlers (Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kulwant Khejroliya, Yuzvendra Chahal)

Umesh Yadav has been a huge let down this season. He was RCB’s best fast bowler last season but has been a pale shadow of himself this year. He’s been expensive and has struggled to pick wickets regularly. Navdeep Saini has been the most impressive RCB pacer this season. He is the pacer with most wickets (9) for RCB this season as well.

Kulwant Khejroliya played his first game of the season against Rajasthan Royals. He went for 18 runs in the only over he bowled. However, he is unlikely to be dropped after just one game (or rather one over). It’s no secret that Yuzvendra Chahal has been RCB’s best bowler this season. He’s been a reliable customer and has been the go-to bowler for Virat Kohli.

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