Rashid to star in Sunrisers win
This seasons elimination match sees two teams who have been inconsistent throughout the Dream11 Indian Premier League match up as the Sunrisers Hyderabad take on the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Both sides will be desperate to make it in to the second qualifier on Sunday, to give themselves a sniff of taking home that golden trophy next week.
Finding form at the right time
If there was ever a good time to put in a 10 wicket victory against the current champions, it was last timeout for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. In a must win game, they demolished the very strong Mumbai Indians to guarantee their place in the next phase of the tournament. Bowling first, the Sunrisers restricted Mumbai to just 149 after three wickets from Sandeep Sharma and two apiece for Jason Holder and Shahbaz Nadeem. Having Jason Holder in their side gives them an extra option with the bat and the ball, and he hasn’t disappointed since being given his chance by head coach Trevor Bayliss.
Chasing under the biggest amount of pressure, the Sunrisers knocked off the 150 runs to win with a swagger and arrogance which hasn’t been seen too often from the team in orange so far this year. David Warner (85) and Wriddhiman Saha (58) got the side home with all of their wickets in hand and 17 balls to spare.
Considering he hasn’t seemed at his blistering best for large parts of the IPL this year, David Warner has racked up 529 runs so far, and sits second in the race for the orange cap.
Avoid five in a row
If the Sunrisers were going in to this one in good form, the Royal Challengers Bangalore are going in to this in the worst possible shape. Four defeats on the bounce nearly left them missing out on the top four, as they scraped in in fourth place over the Kolkata Knight Riders on net run rate.
Captain Virat Kohli will be perfectly aware that his side haven’t been as destructive with the bat as they normally are. This has been personified by the absence of Aaron Finch form their last three group matches. The aggressive Australian normally thrives at the top of the order and sets the platform for the likes of Kohli and AB de Villiers to finish off the innings later on.
They have also struggled with the ball, Yuzvendra Chahal has been their most constant bowler, and he will be looking to win the battle of the spinners as he faces off with Rashid Khan in this one.
Match Tip
In a knockout match, anything can happen. But the form of these two sides in the last week or so is far too much to ignore. I think that the Sunrisers will get the win, proving too strong in the bowling department.
I am backing Rashid Khan to take more than 1.5 wickets in the match between the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Royal Challengers Bangalore at 2.20 with bet365.
Post bet chat Jack's Tips:
No wickets for Rashid Khan but he won't care as the Sunrisers advanced.