Just 10 days after rewriting record books by scoring the highest IPL total ever, Sunrisers Hyderabad's batters will again look to feast against a hapless Royal Challengers Bengaluru bowling attack when the two teams meet for the return fixture in Hyderabad on Thursday. (Preview | Full IPL Coverage)
Records fell like crazy when the last time these two teams met as SRH scored the highest-ever IPL total of 287/3 but in reply, RCB did not give up easily and scored the highest second innings total in T20 history by getting to 262/7. However, even that was not enough as the Bengaluru side lost by 25 runs.
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SRH's batting has already put up three 265+ scores this season and seems unstoppable at this point. Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen and Abdul Samad have all hit the ball out of the park whenever they get the chance. Their batting prowess has lifted them to the third position in the table with five wins and two losses.
RCB is badly struggling. The Faf du Plessis-led side has won just a single game and is at the bottom of the table. While the batters have shown signs of returning to form the bowling remains a big worry. The team will again pin hopes on Virat Kohli who has been the only consistent performer in the side apart from Dinesh Karthik.
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As Pat Cummins-led SRH aims to do a double on bottom-placed RCB, here are the three key battles that will have big effect of the game.
Virat Kohli Vs Pat Cummins
With 379 runs, the Orange Cap sits on Virat Kohli's head. He is the only one who was consistently performed in RCB's top and middle order. However, the last few games have been a bit underwhelming for the former RCB skipper. On Thursday, he would like to play another big innings to ensure RCB have enough runs on board.
Pat Cummins season economy is 8 and he has picked up just 9 wickets in 7 matches. However, these numbers are deceptive as he has easily been his team's best bowler so far in this tournament. In all the high-scoring matches that SRH has played, Cummins has stood out with his economy. He will be looking to put RCB's best batter under pressure early in the innings on Wednesday.
How the two play each other will be an interesting battle to see.
Travis Head vs Mohammed Siraj
Mohammed Siraj has been in terrible form this year in IPL and it is just the opposite for Travis Head who has smashed bowlers like he was playing a video game.
If there is one bowler in the RCB camp who can run through the SRH batting lineup if there is some assistance from the Hyderabad pitch, it is Siraj. If he can provide the wicket of Head, RCB will take a sigh of relief. But if he fails, mayhem awaits RCB bowlers.
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Dinesh Karthik vs T Natarajan
T Natarajan has played just five games this season but already has 10 wickets to his name. His yorker accuracy and smartness have helped him come out on top against big names. On Wednesday, his challenge will be Dinesh Karthik.
Eyeing a T20 World Cup spot, Karthik is looking as good as ever and having his best IPL season off all time. As the veteran looks to continue his fine form, he will have to get the better of Natarajan's yorkers.
