IPL 2018: Match 39, Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Royal Challengers Bangalore - Match Prediction

It will be a contrasting mood in the two dressing rooms when Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) lock horns against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 39^th match of Vivo Indian Premier League 11.

The teams have been involved in several intense battles over the years. Starting from a thrilling super over in the 2013 edition both teams have had played with intensity against each other.

As of now, Hyderabad is sitting pretty at the top of the points table with seven victories from nine matches. Bangalore is on the verge of elimination with six losses from nine matches.

The Sunrisers have recorded four successive wins and will look to be the first team to book their place in the playoffs. A victory on Monday evening will almost guarantee a place in the playoffs for Hyderabad.

On the other hand, Bangalore needs to win all their remaining five matches – to harbour hopes of qualifying for the playoffs.

Bangalore has faltered big time in the bowling department and needs to pull their socks pretty early otherwise their campaign might end very early.

Despite some good batting form by Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers Bangalore have failed to put on big totals on a consistent basis. The form of Umesh Yadav has been a positive for Bangalore.

However, the speedster Umesh has also leaked runs in the death overs. In the previous encounter against Chennai Super Kings, the Bangalore batsmen faltered big time which never really allowed to make a return during a game.

They were reduced to 89 for eight before a good knock from Tim Southee propelled them to a score of 127  in their allotted 20 overs. The bowlers kept them in the game with some breakthroughs.

However, the target proved to be too little in the end. CSK skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni remained unbeaten and sealed the deal for Chennai.

Also Read: IPL 2018: Spinners Have Adapted Extremely Well in T20s, feels Kris Srikkanth

Hyderabad has been quite spectacular especially when it comes to the bowling department. They ended up defending three pretty low scores in succession despite the absence of their No. 1 bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

The form of Kane Williamson at the top of the order has also given Hyderabad the much-needed stability. Alex Hales also played a brisk knock the other day which will surely keep Hyderabad in the right spirits.

The Afghan leggie Rashid Khan has been the pick of the Hyderabad bowlers and have provided the franchises will important wickets at crunch situations of the game.

Fast bowler Siddharth Kaul has also been pretty impressive. Exciting Kaul took the matter in his own hands when Bhuvneshwar Kumar missed a few matches owing to an injury.

Team Combinations –

Royal Challengers Bangalore:

They need to give chances to the guys sitting in the dugout. Moeen Ali, who is a class all-rounder has warmed the bench all through the tournament.

In this situation, Kohli must go for other options as he has realized the fact that there is something wrong with the combination.

Most of the players in the team are world class. However, they need to perform consistently.

Predicted XI: Parthiv Patel (w), Brendon McCullum, Virat Kohli(c), AB de Villiers, Mandeep Singh, Colin de Grandhomme, Tim Southee, Murugan Ashwin/Washington Sundar, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

Sunrisers Hyderabad:

The 2016 Champions looks a pretty settled unit and is unlikely to tinker with their winning combination.

The form of Alex Hales will surely bolster their confidence especially given the fact that he replaced an explosive David Warner.

Predicted XI: Alex Hales, Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson(c), Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma/Basil Thampi

Match Prediction:

Hyderabad has won three matches out of four against the Royal Challengers at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

Bangalore needs to make a quick turnaround. However, given the form of both sides, it is highly unlikely that Bangalore will make a comeback.

Hence, I will back Sunrisers Hyderabad to come out on top yet again. They are highly-likely going to continue their winning streak in the tournament.

Also Read: IPL 2018: The Most Important Thing for a Captain is to Rotate the Bowlers Well and Pick the Best combination possible – Ravichandran Ashwin