IPL 2022: Match 36- Predicted Royal Challengers Bangalore Playing XI vs Sunrisers Hyderabad

The Royal Challengers will be locking horns with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on April 23. Both teams will be oozing with confidence heading into this contest. RCB head into this clash after an impressive 18-run win over the Lucknow Super Giants in their last fixture. They would now be hoping to continue the momentum against SRH who are on a roll having won their last four matches.

While Bangalore did come out on top against LSG a few days ago, they would not be too keen on making any changes to their playing XI and instead, stick to the same winning combination. With the top-order especially skipper Faf du Plessis looking in good touch and bowlers showcasing consistent performances, RCB will not at all be worried about getting their combination right against Hyderabad in the first place.

Here’s a look at Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) predicted XI against Sunrisers Hyderabad 

Opener: Faf du Plessis (C) and Anuj Rawat

Captain Faf du Plessis roared back to form in the last game with a match-winning knock of 96 runs from 64 deliveries when his team seemed to be down and out at 62/4. The Proteas sensation played an instrumental role in guiding Bangalore to a competitive total of 181/6 for which he has been adjudged the “Player of the Match”.

Anuj Rawat hasn’t had a good outing in the last two matches where he has only managed four runs including a golden duck. The promising batter would now be expected to come good against a quality Hyderabad bowling attack in the next game. RCB would want their openers to put on a show to ease some pressure off the middle-order batters.

Middle Order: Virat Kohli, Suyash Prabhudessai, Shahbaz Ahmed, and Dinesh Karthik (wk)

After being run out cheaply against Delhi Capitals, things only got worse for Virat Kohli who bagged a golden duck in the last match. The batting megastar has not managed to find form yet and only has a couple of 40+ scores to boast this season. He would now be eager to make his bat do the talking sooner rather than later.

Newcomer Suyash Prabudessai has not been able to create a good first impression in the middle order which he would be looking to change against SRH by working in tandem with the seasoned performers. In his last two outings, he has fetched only 16 runs and will be keen to put on a better show to retain his place in the playing XI.

Shahbaz Ahmed has been one of RCB’s star performers in the middle-order so far this season. He has impressed with his scoring abilities having amassed 171 runs from seven outings and most of his knocks have also turned out to be impactful.

Dinesh Karthik has been the Bengaluru-based franchise’s savior having remained not out on six of the seven matches. The veteran stumper has scored 210 runs including a half-century averaging exactly 210 and a strike rate of 205.88. The 36-year-old wicket-keeper batter will hope to continue the onslaught as he chases a ‘bigger goal’ of representing India in the T20 World Cup.

All-Rounders: Glenn Maxwell and Wanindu Hasaranga

In his four appearances in IPL 2022 so far, Glenn Maxwell has amassed 112 runs including a half-century with his highest score being 55 against the Delhi Capitals. He has only managed a solitary scalp with the ball in hand. A lot will be expected from the Australian all-rounder going forward with both bat and ball in hand.

Wanindu Hasaranga, on the other hand, might not have made much impact with the bat but, he has made the ball do the talking. The Islander has done an exceptional job, having registered 11 scalps to his name from seven appearances at an economy rate of 8.60.

Bowlers: Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, and Mohammed Siraj

Medium-pacer Harshal Patel played a great role in ruining LSG’s momentum during their challenging run chase with two crucial wickets of KL Rahul and Jason Holder. Another such performance will be expected from the Purple Cap winner of the last season when RCB goes up against SRH.

Josh Hazlewood seems to be growing from strength to strength as the tournament progresses. He was the pick of RCB bowlers against Lucknow with match-winning figures of 4/25 at an economy rate of 6.20. The Aussie superstar will look to continue a good job as the Bangalore franchise aim to continue their winning streak.

Mohammed Siraj has got better with each passing game and has looked a lot settled in the death overs after a poor start to IPL 2022. He returned with figures of 1/31 in their last fixture against the Lucknow and will only hope to get better from here.