Sharjah: An IPL Play-offs spot at stake, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) need to shrug off the disappointment of two back-to-back defeats. RCB will certainly have to play to their full potential when they face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), here Saturday. It will not be an easy game for RCB as SRH are brimming with confidence after their crushing win over Delhi Capitals (DC).
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are the only team to be out of the reckoning for the play-offs. However, they have spiced up the play-off race with their last-ball win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Thursday night.
Going by current standings, RCB are better-placed at number two. They need to win one of their remaining two games – against SRH or DC – to make the cut. And even if RCB lose both their matches and stay on 14 points, they can still qualify. But for that they need favourable results from other games.
RCB can ill afford to lose both their last two games as it will affect their net run rate (NRR). It will lead to their elimination if other teams on 14 points have higher run rates.
SRH, on the other hand, have nothing to lose. They are sitting on the sixth spot with 10 points from 12 games. The Hyderabad outfit need to win their remaining two matches – against RCB and MI – to reach 14 points to stay in the reckoning.
Just winning both the games might not be enough for SRH. They would be hoping that at least one out of RCB, DC (14 points) and Kings XI Punjab (12 points) don’t reach the magic figure of 16. If that happens, SRH will progress to the play-offs because of a superior NRR than all the teams which can finish on 14 points.
RCB need to regroup as their confidence definitely took a beating after crushing defeats at the hands of MI and CSK.
For RCB, batting has been their strength with the likes of Virat Kohli, young inform opener Devdutt Padikkal, AB de Villiers and Aaron Finch doing the job.
Young Josh Philippe, who replaced Finch in the last match, scored handy 33 up front but the team’s lower middle-order, which has the likes of Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Gurkeerat Mann needs to take more responsibility.
Their biggest challenge will be to counter Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan, who remain an unsolved mystery for batsmen in the 2020 IPL season. The pressure he built with dot balls has helped SRH in big way.
On the bowling front, RCB has been hit hard by a split webbing of Navdeep Saini, who missed their last game. Dale Steyn, who replaced him, was rusty and leaked runs and is likely to be replaced by Isuru Udana
SRH, on the hand, were clinical in their 88-run win over DC and would look to continue in the same vein.