This season has proven to be a tough outing for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and despite coming close on quite a few occasions, they have somehow not managed to cross the finish line. Even against KKR, they were on the cusp of pulling off a thunderous chase only to falter in the final hurdle. As they still try and rally themselves from what has been a roller-coaster ride so far, another substantial challenge awaits them and this time it is the second chapter of the Deccan derby as SRH is all set to welcome them to Hyderabad.

The last time these two teams clashed, it was another merciless batting display from the Sunrisers as they piled up 287 runs. However, shooting down such a momentous total on the board, RCB kept on driving hard enough and eventually through a magical knock of Dinesh Karthik they did come in the vicinity but it wasn’t enough.

Somehow the bowling unit of RCB has been a question mark for them but their batting has been extraordinary. Will Jacks returned to form in the last game while Rajat Patidar scored a half-century to prove his credentials. Kohli still holds the Orange Cap with 379 runs in his tally while the fans would be hopeful of a Cameron Green special. SRH will once again be banking upon their prized batting unit which has been toying with records like never before.

Venue Watch

The surface at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium has been a featherbed that has seen batters make merry so far. With the kind of batting powerhouses that both the teams have been in this tournament, expect another cracker of a run-fest to follow suit.

Personal battles to watch out for:

Virat Kohli vs Pat Cummins:

Still leading the roost with an exceptional tally and some incredible bouts of hard-hitting, Virat has been the heart of RCB’s batting unit this year. As the Royal Challengers take the yard in Hyderabad, he will be a crucial figure once again to lead the visitors from the front. The SRH skipper, Pat Cummins has claimed nine wickets in this tournament while registering an economy rate of 8.00 that underscores how incredible the Aussie quick has been in an edition where runs have leaked faster than an ocean through a cracked dam. Pat’s military discipline versus Virat’s stellar batting show can be the highlight of the evening.

Will Jacks vs T Natarajan

Will Jacks returned to form in the last game with an incredible half-century but then he still has a long way to go. The man who boasts of a 25-ball-century in T10 cricket certainly has way more than what is being said about him right now. Alongside his batting prowess, he is also a fine bowler that can churn out at least a couple of overs. Natarajan, on the contrary, has been SRH’s leading wicket taker of the season with 10 scalps to his name. Natarajan’s agonizing toe-crushers against those meaty skyscrapers from Jacks can also define the evening.

Rajat Patidar vs Mayank Markande

Patidar has finally returned to form after a slightly shaky start and the Royal Challengers will be hopeful of seeing another incredible display of his striking in the heart of Hyderabad. With two fifties in the last three games, Patidar would be hopeful of giving a glimpse of what he is capable of. Mayank Markande has been slightly expensive but the seven scalps that he has claimed, that itself a testimony to his craft and he can be a game-changer in the middle-overs with that wicket-taking capability of his.

Match detail:

Match: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad

Date: 25th April, 2024

Time: 7:30 PM

Head-to-head:

Matches played: 24

RCB: 10

SRH: 13

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru:

Faf du Plessis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Dagar, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar, Cameron Green, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Tom Curran, Lockie Ferguson, Swapnil Singh, Saurav Chauhan.

Sunrisers Hyderabad:

Abdul Samad, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram (c), Marco Jansen, Rahul Tripathi, Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Sanvir Singh, Heinrich Klaasen, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Agarwal, T. Natarajan, Anmolpreet Singh, Mayank Markande, Upendra Singh Yadav, Umran Malik, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Shahbaz Ahmed, Travis Head, Wanindu Hasaranga, Pat Cummins, Jaydev Unadkat, Akash Singh, Jhathavedh Subramanyan.