Click here for Sunrisers Hyderabad v Royal Challengers Bangalore odds
Friday 22 April,15:00
TV: Sky Sports
Sunrisers Hyderabad v Royal Bangalore Challengers IPL team news
Sunrisers Hyderabad are bang in the race for the top two. They need to win this game or hope for a heavy Gujarat loss against Chennai (playing Thursday) for an easier route to the final.
They beat Chennai last time, getting up on a slow surface with a tricky target of 180. it showed their batting has matured and can adapt.
Pat Cummins is having a tremendous season with the ball and his three wickets set the tone for a disciplined performance. Ishan Kishan, who perhaps best personifies a team which is now taking responsibility, hit 70 off 47 to continue a good run.
Possible XI: Abhishek, Head (sub Sakib), Kishan, Klaasen, Reddy, Arora, Smaran, Cummins, Shivang, Malinga, Hinge
Royal Challengers Bangalore are top of the table and have the best net run rate in the competition. They would need to suffer a catastrophic defeat to be pipped for a top-two finish. One suspects they don't play fast and loose with Mother Cricket and they pick their strongest side.
They are on a three-game winning streak. Punjab were despatched with relative ease and they remain the most efficient unit across the two main facets of the game.
And yet they could get better. Phil Salt should have come in for Jacob Bethell some time ago. Bethell has had a very poor tournament and it is extremely harsh on Salt who lost his place due to injury.
Possible XI: Salt, Kohli, Patidar (sub Rasikh), Padikkal, Venkatesh, Jitesh, David, Krunal, Bhuv, Suyash, Hazlewood
Sunrisers Hyderabad v Royal Bangalore Challengers IPL pitch report
The big debate about the Hyderabad surface is whether we have yet seen the turgid, bowler-friendly surface. SRH coach Dan Vettori says no but that could be kidology. It did look as though the infamous surface was used in the first game of the season when Lucknow pinched a penultimate-ball win when chasing 156. It was a real struggle for both teams.
Since that game there have been first-innings scores (most recent first) of: 235-165-242-194-216. We expect to get confirmation of the strip used before the off. If it is a strip used previously where we have seen runs (respectively for matches against Punjab, Delhi, CSK, Royals) then the play is overs.
There will be those who will have a gamble on the pitch choice and reckon SRH for over 196.5 at 5/61.84 is value. We would expect the par line to be over 205.5 on the Exchange.
Sunrisers Hyderabad v Royal Bangalore Challengers match prediction
Sportsbook make RCB clear favourites to win this contest with a quote of 8/111.73. The Exchange is less sure, however, and the 1.834/5 could look very big indeed.
It is right that Bangalore are favourites to take the spoils, even if we accept that we have been a little harsh on Sunrisers. Their bowling efficiency has picked up notably since Cummmins' arrival and it is now wrong to claim they are a group which can only play one way.
Still, Bangalore match up well against them. Bangalore are the complete team, ranking at Nos 3 and 4 for batting strike rate and bowling economy. SRH are Nos 1 and 7 respectively.
It is fair to expect, also, that the tournament's outstanding new-ball pair, Bhuv Kumar and Josh Hazlewood, will have no fears about going up against the Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head axis in the powerplay.
The bet that RCB win the match and have the highest opening partnership at 13/82.63 is an option likewise the 7/42.75 that they win and hit most sixes.
Sunrisers Hyderabad v Royal Bangalore Challengers player bets
On win rate Virat Kohli is due one more win in this competition. Could be this game or one of the three potentially in the play-offs? The 7/42.75 with Sportsbook is a perfectly fair bet. Sportsbook rate him at even money to hit four fours or more. That takes team-mates and even the requirement for a big score out of the equation. Bethell is 5/16.00 by the way for top RCB bat. That is borderline for the sort of price an opener should be.
As stated before, quality will rise to the top at some stage and there is no doubt Bethell is a class act. However, he may be a player who, in time, proves to be pone which needs the pressure of a big game to produce given what we've seen in his short career.
Back Virat Kohli to hit 4+ fours