Hyderabad: Sunrisers Hyderabad is set to showcase their formidable batting prowess against the struggling Royal Challengers Bangalore in their return-leg fixture of the IPL on Thursday.
Sunrisers Hyderabad has crossed the 250-run mark three times this IPL season, demonstrating an aggressive and boundary-pushing approach to T20 batting.
Their dominance was evident when they set the record for the highest-ever IPL total, posting 287/3 against RCB in Bengaluru, with Travis Head leading the charge.
Further highlighting their batting prowess, SRH’s performance against Delhi Capitals resulted in a record-breaking 125/0 in the powerplay, suggesting the potential to breach the 300-run mark for the first time in IPL history.
Given RCB’s vulnerable bowling attack, it would not be surprising if SRH manages such a feat. RCB’s bowling struggles are evident as their top bowler, Yash Dayal, ranks 24th overall with seven wickets.
Currently at the bottom of the table, RCB has conceded at least 180 runs in their last five matches, with the last two opponents scoring over 200.
While RCB’s batsmen have made commendable efforts, the team’s imbalance in squad composition makes it challenging to deliver an all-round performance consistently.
Virat Kohli remains RCB’s leading run-scorer in the tournament with 379 runs, retaining the Orange Cap. However, SRH’s Travis Head, in exceptional form, is close behind.
Head’s aggressive batting and ability to find gaps effortlessly make him a standout performer. Abhishek Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen have also excelled with the bat this season, contributing to SRH’s impressive batting displays.
Currently, SRH comfortably sits at third place in the table with 10 points from seven matches. While their batting has been exceptional, SRH is aware of the need for their bowling unit, led by captain Pat Cummins, to rise to the challenge against a resurgent RCB.
Squads:
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat (wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Dagar, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar, Cameron Green, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Tom Curran, Lockie Ferguson, Swapnil Singh, Saurav Chauhan.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Pat Cummins (c), Abdul Samad, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen, Rahul Tripathi, Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Sanvir Singh, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Agarwal, T. Natarajan, Anmolpreet Singh, Mayank Markande, Upendra Singh Yadav (wk), Umran Malik, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Shahbaz Ahmed, Travis Head, Jaydev Unadkat, Akash Singh, Jhathavedh Subramanyan.
