IPL 2020: Graeme Swann cheers for RR and SRH to qualify for the playoffs

The 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL) has reached midway, where all the teams have had seven outings at least. The second half of the tournament is on the way where reverse fixtures will follow, and in the same light, fans and experts have started picking their team that will reach the playoffs. With all the teams, having played against each other, it becomes easy to calculate, what are the weak points and strengths of the respective franchises.

At the top half of the table are Delhi Capitals (DC), Mumbai Indians (MI), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). On the other hand, there’s Rajasthan Royals (RR), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), and Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) at the bottom half. All the teams are making way through their share of ups and downs and will be hoping to level up things in the second half.

In the same light, former England off-spinner, Graeme Swann, has made clear that he is cheering for David Warner’s Sunrisers and Steve Smith’s Royals. He feels that both of them will find a place in the playoffs.

“I’m definitely going with Sunrisers Hyderabad cause Jonny Bairstow not only looks dapper with his ginger hair and the orange shirt, amazing, it shouldn’t go, but it does, but he’s also smashing it. And my fourth team is going more with my heart than my head, Rajasthan Royals, Tewatia hit 5 sixes off that over, and I fell for the Rajasthan Royals. They’ve lost all three games; they cannot get any worse. Ben Stokes is coming back. They are going to qualify,” said Swann while speaking on the Star Sports Cricket Connected show.

SRH lose to CSK by 20 runs

Talking about his assumptions, both SRH and RR have had their fair share of travails. SRH had their last outing against CSK, where the men in yellow handed them a defeat by 20 runs. Batting first, CSK posted a decent 167 on the board where knocks by Ambati Rayudu and Shane Watson guided them. The Sunrisers couldn’t chase the score and had to face defeat in Dubai. SRH will next face KKR at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on October 18.