RCB renew rivalry with SRH, look to build on the momentum

If we had to summarise the campaigns of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2021, one would say that It is as different as chalk and cheese. The Royal Challengers Bangalore have already secured a berth in the playoffs, while Sunrisers are out of the reckoning for the playoffs spot. But there is still a lot to play for as Virat Kohli’s team will be vying for the top two finish. The Hyderabad unit, on the other hand, would merely like to end the tournament on a high note after a season in which they have struggled to find success.

Riding on Glenn Maxwell’s half-century and Shahbaz Ahmed’s match-defining spell, RCB battered SRH the last time the two teams met at the M.A Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. 

Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal have batted with conviction and authority at the top, providing brisk starts more often. The solid platform laid by the opening duo has allowed the other batters such as KS Bharat and Glenn Maxwell to deflate the bowling attacks later on. 

What has been the story of the IPL 2021 thus far? Glenn Maxwell's redemption is without a doubt the highlight of this edition of IPL. Whether it was the two-paced wicket in Dubai or the sluggish track in Sharjah, the Australian never looked at sea against the bowlers. Several eyebrows were raised when RCB acquired the services of the Australian in the auction. Despite a forgetful IPL 2020 season, it is not fair to judge a player of Maxwell’s stature on basis of one or two matches or a season. Batting at No.5 for Punjab, he could only muster 108 runs in 11 innings in the previous season. The 32-year-old, however, has turned a new leaf this season, demonstrating why he is still the best in the business. He has silenced the critics with several match-winning performances, amassing 407 runs in 11 innings.

What sparked the turnaround? The man himself credited his success to his familiarity with the role he's been assigned here at RCB. In the post-match presentation, he claimed that the RCB management had asked him to play a role similar to what he does for the Australian team.

“Coming into RCB they wanted me to do the exact same role like I am playing with Australia,” Maxwell was quoted as saying. 

Talk about specific roles, Harshal Patel too has taken the challenge of bowling the death overs head-on. The performance is there for everyone to see. He has bowled with immense control in the death overs. As things stand now, he sits atop the highest wicket-takers in the IPL 2021 with 26 wickets in 12 innings. It also demonstrates how critical it is to specify the clarity of roles to a player. The RCB think tank deserves all of the praise.

The magician, Yuzvendra Chahal, has continued to work his magic, strangling the batters in the middle overs. Interestingly, he has always brought his A-game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The 30-year-old holds the record for most wickets for a spinner against the Hyderabad unit. Come Wednesday, the wily leg-spinner will once again look to deliver a match-winning performance. 

Mohammed Siraj, George Garton, and Shahbaz Ahmed have all provided excellent support to the other bowlers. Ideally, everything has fallen into place for the team. The preparations are in full swing. With two games left, the team is confident of finishing in the top two.

Match Details 

Date: Wednesday, 6 October 

Time: 7:30 PM [IST] 

Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi 

Squads 

RCB: Virat Kohli (C), AB de Villiers, Yuzvendra Chahal, Devdutt Padikkal, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pavan Deshpande, Glenn Maxwell, Sachin Baby, Rajat Patidar, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Kyle Jamieson, Dan Christian, Suyash Prabhudessai, KS Bharat, Tim David, Dushmantha Chameera, Wanindu Hasaranga, Akash Deep, George Garton.

SRH: Kane Williamson (c), David Warner, Wriddhiman Saha, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Jason Roy, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Shreevats Goswami, Siddarth Kaul, Mohammad Nabi, Virat Singh, Basil Thampi, Jagadeesha Suchith, Abhishek Sharma, Priyam Garg, Umran Malik.