Focus will be back on Virat Kohli as the Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Sunrisers Hyderabad for a second time this Indian Premier League (IPL) season. RCB’s batting lineup managed to put up 173/8 in their last match against Chennai Super Kings despite a 33-ball 30 from Kohli and the early dismissal of Glenn Maxwell. But, it was the bowlers who stole the show, as they have so often this season, as RCB won the match by 13 runs.
Kohli has scored just 216 runs at an average of 21.60 and strike rate of 111.91 and has been a liability at best for RCB at the top of the order, a position that has been a problem for the side in general. It has been a different story in the bowling attack, though. In Josh Hazlewood, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj and Wanindu Hasarnaga, RCB have four match-winners, while Glenn Maxwell and Shahbaz Ahmed have also played their part well.
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Let’s take a look at the predicted XI for RCB in their match against SRH:
Openers: It is unlikely that RCB will deviate from their opening combination of captain Faf du Plessis and Kohli. Both players have been giving middling returns, with Du Plessis being the slightly better case due to his higher strike rate.
Top and Middle order: Glenn Maxwell at number 3, followed by Mahipal Lomror, Rajat Patidar and Dinesh Karthik at four, five and six. It was Lomror who turned out to be the difference for RCB last time, scoring 42 off 27 while Patidar got a half century in their previous match. Maxwell has been getting starts but is yet to score a half century.
Power hitter: Dinesh Karthik. Karthik’s extraordinary innings from earlier this season have stopped happening at a frequent rate but he continues to fulfil .
Spin Options: Wanindu Hasaranga, Glenn Maxwell. Hasaranga is RCB’s highest wicket taker with 16 wickets. Maxwell, on the other hand, has turned out to be almost more handy with the ball than with the bat this season and RCB wouldn’t probably mind that as long as he performs in some form or the other.
Pacers: Josh Hazlewood, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Shahbaz Ahmed. RCB have come up with a strong pace attack this season, unlike what has been the case for them in so many previous years. Apart from the four mentioned above, Mahipal Lomror can also send a few in as well.
Changes in the squad: It is unlikely that RCB will make any changes to the squad considering they are coming into the match on the back of a win.
RCB Predicted XI vs SRH: Faf du Plessis(c), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik(w), Mahipal Lomror, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood
