IPL 2020: Match 52, RCB vs SRH – SRH Predicted Playing XI

The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have a do-or-die encounter staring at them when they meet the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at Sharjah in the evening affair of the Saturday doubleheader. Placed at the second-last spot in the table, with only five wins from twelve encounters, the SRH camp is coming after a morale-boosting 88-run victory over the Delhi Capitals in their last league clash.

With the wild qualification story unfolding for all the teams, SRH had a task of winning three in three, which, after their victory over DC, stands as two in two. Anything lesser than this means a straightforward exit. With RR defeating KXIP the other day, SRH will now need only to win both their remaining matches to make it to the playoffs.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for the Sunrisers Hyderabad for RCB vs SRH:

Openers: Wriddhiman Saha (WK), David Warner (C)

SRH dropped Jonny Bairstow to accommodate Kane Williamson in the previous game- a decision that forced them to promote Wriddhiman Saha in the opening slot. The move transformed into a blessing as Saha torn apart the Capitals’ bowlers from the word go, and his 87-run blinder played a pivotal role in his team’s much-needed victory.

On the other side, David Warner gifted himself an outstanding 66-run knock from just 34 deliveries on his birthday. While Warner’s slot as an opener is certain, SRH must be praying that Saha is available for them in the game as he did not take the field in the last encounter during the second innings. His absence might force the team to bring back Jonny Bairstow, which then would disturb their middle-order.

Middle Order: Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Priyam Garg

Manish Pandey, with 354 runs in 12 innings at 35.40 and 3 half-centuries this season, has proven himself to be a vital cog in the wheel of SRH once again. Even in the last match, he played a quick-fire 44-run knock that included four boundaries and a six, before the team finished for a massive total of 219 for 2.

He would want to maintain his good nick alongside Kane Williamson, who has been performing well despite being in and out of the team and facing some chopping and changing in his batting position. Priyam Garg is likely to get a chance with Shankar getting ruled out and the youngster would love to make the most of his opportunity.

All-Rounders: Abdul Samad, Jason Holder

Vijay Shankar has been ruled out of the tournament and that leaves them a bowler short.  The young sensation Abdul Samad’s story has not been much different, as with 78 runs in 6 innings at a dismal average of 19.50, he has not been able to justify his candidature. The other all-rounder in the team, Jason Holder, has not gotten a chance to bat, though with the ball, the captain has used his over, and he has got 6 wickets in three games.

Bowlers: Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, T Natarajan, Shahbaz Nadeem

Rashid Khan has been making the difference with his guile once again. He ended up with a career-best spell in the last match and registered some unreal figures reading 7 runs in 4 overs and three wickets against his name. With 17 wickets at an incredible economy of 5 and an average of 14.11, he would be once again his captain’s go-to bowler.

T Natarajan has been a revelation this year and has stamped himself as a yorker expert. In the last game, too, Natarajan bagged a couple of wickets giving only 26 runs in his quota of four overs. Sandeep Sharma was equally impressive in the last fixture as he bagged two wickets giving 27 runs, and he would pick himself alongside spinner Shahbaz Nadeem.