IPL 2021: Match 6 – SRH vs RCB – Sunrisers Hyderabad Predicted Playing XI

Sunrisers Hyderabad started their IPL 2021 campaign with a disappointing loss against Kolkata Knight Riders by just 10 runs in Chennai on Sunday. Next up, they will be facing familiar foes, Royal Challengers Bangalore. Interestingly, Sunrisers had knocked out RCB from the IPL 2020 season, after defeating them in the playoff stages. 

As Sunrisers face Bangalore in their second match of the season, they would be eyeing the first points and also hope to clinch on the crucial moments. The combination which they played against KKR was put into question slightly because they included Jonny Bairstow instead of Kane Williamson.

Predicted XI for SRH against RCB 

Openers (David Warner and Wriddhiman Saha)

When Jonny Bairstow was selected ahead of Kane Williamson in the first match for Sunrisers, a lot of people might have guessed that he will be seen opening the innings. However, Warner decided to stick with the opening combination which had been quite impressive towards the latter half of the 2020 season in the UAE. 

In the first match though, the openers’ failed to give Sunrisers a good start with the bat. Warner’s wicket had upset the rhythm early on. But, the skipper would look to bounce back and give his side a solid start in the powerplay. Saha, himself, made only seven runs off six balls. Sunrisers largely depend on their top-order and both these players would want to put the pressure on the RCB bowlers early on. 

Middle-order (Manish Pandey, Jonny Bairstow, Abdul Samad)

Manish Pandey continued his good record batting at no. 3 for the Sunrisers, smashing a wonderful knock of 61 runs from just 44 balls. However, his innings were criticized by some experts as they felt that he didn’t accelerate at the right time, which would have kept his side in the game, even though he did bat till the end. 

Bairstow’s knock of 55 from 40 balls initially gave a bit of a fresh vibe to the Sunrisers’ run chase. But, the question which begs to be asked is whether he is being properly used at no.4. Anyhow, Abdul Samad, who smashed 19 runs off 8 balls towards the end of the innings, could be seen batting a little up in the order. 

All-rounders (Mohammad Nabi, Vijay Sharma)

The experiment of using Vijay Sharma as a part-timer bowler didn’t quite work in the match against KKR. However, Warner might still want to stick with Vijay, who is more experienced and quite capable of batting lower down the order and scoring runs quickly. However, he would be seeking some support from Mohammad Nabi, who is a dangerous finisher in T20 cricket. 

Apart from being a quality timer of the ball, Nabi is also an attacking spin option. Some people were surprised that he wasn’t used early in the KKR’s innings. On this surface, he should be chosen ahead of Jason Holder, as the wicket will offer him some assistance in terms of spin. 

Bowlers (Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, T Natarajan, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar)

Rashid Khan was once again the pick of the Sunrisers’ bowlers, finishing with figures of 2 for 24 from his four overs. However, he would be seeking a little more help from the SRH pacers who went for a few runs in their season opener. Sandeep Sharma gave 35 from three overs, while T Natarajan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar gave 37 and 45 respectively. 

All the three seamers would look to improve their performance and give early breakthroughs to their team. SRH managed only one wicket during the first 15 overs of the KKR innings, which made them concede a lot of runs in the middle overs. However, they wouldn’t want to make any changes as of now. 

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