Royal Challengers Bengaluru are in desperate need of a victory in the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League and their upcoming fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad will play an important role in deciding their fate in the tournament.
The two teams are set to clash against each other in the 30th match of the marquee event and it will be played at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday.
With as many as five losses to their name, the Royal Challengers have almost diminished their chances of making it to the playoffs while the Sunrisers Hyderabad have been churning out thrilling performances under the leadership of their new captain Pat Cummins.
What has happened so far?
Sunrisers Hyderabad are occupying the fifth place in the points table with three wins and two losses. The team has delivered a handful of sensational performances and is being considered one of the favorites for lifting the coveted trophy.
Playing on Monday, SRH will be high on momentum as they are on a two-match winning streak with victories against Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings by six wickets and two runs, respectively.
The bowlers were at the forefront in the game against the Super Kings, as the latter were restricted to a paltry score of 165 runs in the allotted 20 overs. Meanwhile, the batters led from the front against Hyderabad by hammering 182 runs in the first innings.
As far as Royal Challengers Bengaluru are concerned, they are reeling at the bottom of the points table with just one victory from six league matches. RCB has now lost four games in a row with their most recent defeat coming against the Mumbai Indians by seven wickets.
Nothing has worked for the team in the season so far as they have been let down by both their batting and bowling units with the lack of a world-class spinner proving fatal for them.
Head to Head Record
Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad share an interesting history as the two teams faced off in the IPL 2016 final and SRH lifted their first title while RCB failed to win their maiden trophy and finished runners-up for the third time in nine seasons.
The two teams have locked horns with each other in 23 games with RCB winning only 10 matches and the Hyderabad-based franchise displaying their domination in 12 fixtures.
Key Players
Heinrich Klaasen (Sunrisers Hyderabad): Heinrich Klaasen has been absolutely sensational for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 17th season of the cash-rich league. He has gained a strong foothold in the run-scoring charts with 186 runs to his name in five games at an average of 62 and a commendable strike rate of over 193.
The wicketkeeper-batter was exceptional in the game with a knock of 80 runs off just 34 balls against Mumbai Indians as SRH created history by smacking 277 runs, the highest-ever in the IPL history. It was a rare failure for Klaasen during SRH’s last game against Punjab Kings but the odds are in his favor to bounce back on Monday.
Virat Kohli is the highest run-scorer in the tournament
Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bengaluru): Royal Challengers Bengaluru have dished out some of their worst performances in IPL 2024 but Virat Kohli is having a golden season with the bat.
The opening batter has been smashing the bowlers all over the park irrespective of the opposition and the pitch. He is currently at the top of the run-scoring charts with 319 runs in six games at an average of over 79.
Kohli is also the only batter to score a century in the tournament so far and is expected to shine on Monday as RCB will be looking towards finding their way back to winning ways.
Team News from Both Camps
Sunrisers Hyderabad will be missing the services of the veteran spinner Wanindu Hasaranga in the IPL 2024 as he has been ruled out of the tournament because of chronic heel pain in his left foot.
The spinner was yet to arrive in India as he was completing his international duties for Sri Lanka before the injury ruined his plans. Notably, the 22-year-old Sri Lankan spinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth has replaced Hasaranga in the SRH squad.
Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bengaluru are also not untouched by the injury scar as their prime batter Glenn Maxwell might miss the Monday game because of a thumb injury.
Though Maxwell was struggling with the bat in the tournament, his absence can offer Cameron Green a chance to mount a return to the playing XI.
Predicted XIs
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis ©, Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Mahipal Lomror, Reece Topley, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Abdul Samad, Nitish Reddy, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins ©, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, T Natarajan
Prediction
Sunrisers Hyderabad will be the favorites to win the Monday game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru as they will be buzzing with confidence following two massive wins against Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings.
However, the hosts would need to find their way back as they have delivered a disastrous performance so far with only one victory from six league games.