RCB will face SRH in the 65th game of the ongoing season on 23rd Mat.
Match Preview:
This isn’t just any game for RCB; it’s their penultimate league match, and because they’ve already guaranteed their playoff positions, they have their sights set on finishing in the top two. A seat in Qualifier 1, which offers a priceless second chance to get to the IPL final, is a significant benefit of securing this position. But RCB has a special problem because they haven’t played in about 20 days, which might affect their rhythm and match acuity.
On the other hand, SRH is no longer in the running for the playoffs. They still have two games left, which gives them a chance to aim for a mid-table finish even if they were eliminated. They can also try out fresh combinations during this time and prepare for their 2026 campaign.
Josh Hazlewood, RCB’s top wicket-taker with 18 wickets in 10 innings this season prior to his injury, is still healing from a shoulder strain and will not participate, so they will be missing a key player. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is now going to be in charge of leading RCB’s bowling assault. It’s interesting to note that, until 2024, Kumar will be bowling against the team he played for for an incredible 11 years. Even though he has played six fewer games this season, he has already surpassed his previous season total of 12 wickets in 10 games.
There is good news regarding availability for SRH. A key member of their hitting lineup, Travis Head, has been deemed healthy and is anticipated to rejoin the team. He has scored 281 runs in 10 games this season, demonstrating his excellent form. Jaydev Unadkat, who was absent from the last game, has also returned to the team and will be available for selection.
Probable Playing XIIS:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (probable): 1 Phil Salt, 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Mayank Agarwal, 4 Rajat Patidar (capt), 5 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 6 Romario Shepherd, 7 Tim David, 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Yash Dayal, 11 Lungi Ngidi, 12 Suyash Sharma
Sunrisers Hyderabad (probable): 1 Travis Head, 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Ishan Kishan (wk), 4 Nitish Reddy, 5 Heinrich Klaasen, 6 Aniket Verma, 7 Abhinav Manohar, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Harsh Dubey, 11 Eshan Malinga, 12 Jaydev Unadkat
Pitch and weather report:
Three nights ago, a black-soil deck was used for the LSG-SRH game. Since RCB is the host team, they will prefer to play on a red-soil field on Friday. This implies more carry and bounce as well as the potential for sharp turns. Due to the fact that Krunal Pandya played for Andy Flower, who coached LSG for two seasons, RCB also has a lot of information about the venue.
Head-to-head record:
With 13 victories to 11, the Sunrisers have a slim lead over the Royal Challengers in their head-to-head matches. But in their last five encounters, RCB has prevailed three times to SRH’s two.
Prediction:
RCB is favourite to win the match.
Where to watch:
India: Star Sports Network, JioHotstar
Australia: Kayo TV, FoxTel Go
Bangladesh: T Sports, Toffee app
New Zealand: Sky Sports NZ
South Africa: SuperSport
Sri Lanka: Dialog
UK: Sky Sports, SkyGo
USA: Willow TV
Afghanistan: ATN
MENA: Cricbuzz
