RCB vs SRH IPL 2018 Match 51 preview: Bangalore look to take down table-toppers Hyderabad

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will have to overcome table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in match 51 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday to keep alive their hopes of making the playoffs. The last time these two teams met this season, SRH stunned RCB with yet another dominant display with the ball. After being bowled out for 146, the SRH bowlers responded in style restricting RCB to just 141/6 after 20 overs to win the game by 5 runs. 

RCB come into this game on the back of a dominant victory against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP). RCB bowlers led by Umesh Yadav who ended with night with figures of 3/23, bowled out the KXIP unit for just 88 runs in 15.1 overs, the second lowest total this season. RCB then required just 8.1 overs as Parthiv Patel (40 not out) and skipper Virat Kohli (48 not out) chased down the total with ease.  The win didn’t do much to improve RCB’s position on the table, but a 10-wicket victory helped them boost their net run rate which might prove useful as the tournament progresses.

Sunrisers’ last outing was a forgettable one, as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ended their six-match unbeaten streak at Pune. Put in to bat first, SRH led by Shikhar Dhawan’s 79 off 49 balls and Captain Kane Williamson’s 51 off 39 balls, managed to put on a competitive total of 179/4 in their quota of 20 overs. However, Shane Watson (57 off 35 balls) and Ambati Rayudu (100 not out off 62 balls) strung together an opening partnership of 134 runs to power CSK to an eight wicket victory. 

Match Details:

Timing – 8 pm

Venue – Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.

Where to watch – Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 HD

Head to head – Out of the 11 matches played between the two teams, Sunrisers have been the dominant side winning seven games.

Team News:

After winning the last game by the highest possible margin, RCB won’t be expected to make any major changes to their playing 11.

SRH who have qualified for the playoffs could rest a few key players, but that is unlikely as coach Tom Moody isn’t one to take things lightly. Wriddhiman Saha could replace Shreevats Gowami behind the wickets if he is deemed fit to participate.

Prediction: Who will win?

Although Sunrisers have been in dominant form with both bat and ball this season, RCB who need the win more will be tipped to come out on top in this game. Bangalore have struggled with their bowling this season. However, they showed much improvement in that department in their previous game against KXIP.

Betting odds: According to Oddscheker.com, the odds are placed at 8/11 for RCB and 13/10 for SRH.

Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch report: The pitch here is known to assist the batsmen with the ball coming nicely onto the bat and the smaller boundaries helping them clear the ropes much more easily. However, there is also much on offer for the spinners on this track and Chahal, Rashid and co. will be all set to terrorize the batsmen.

Dream 11: P Patel (wk), V Kohli, AB de Villiers, S Dhawan, K Williamson, S Hasan, R Khan, M Siraj, B Kumar, S Sharma and Y Chahal.

Players to watch out for:

Umesh Yadav (RCB) – RCB’s top wicket taker this season, Yadav has proved his worth bowling in the Powerplay overs. His early dismissals of Gayle and Rahul in a single over is what sparked the total collapse of the KXIP batting order. He has 17 wickets from 12 games this season and an economy rate of just 8.01.

Kane Williamson (SRH) – The SRH captain has been leading from the front this season with his consistent batting performances. He has 544 runs from 12 games, with seven half centuries to his name, the highest among all batsmen this season. SRH will be hoping the runs keep flowing in for their skipper when he takes the field tonight.

IPL points table: SRH are currently sitting pretty at the top of the table having accumulated 18 points from their 12 games this season. RCB are in seventh position with just 10 points from 12 games. Check out the updated points table below.