From Klaasen's milestones to Abhishek-Bhuvneshwar match-up: SRH-RCB clash promises to be cracker
Hyderabad, May 22
There will be plenty of exciting milestones and match-ups to watch out for as defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru take on hosts Sunrisers Hyderabad in their final league stage game in the Indian Premier League.
The Red and Gold side is more or less confirmed a spot in the Qualifier one, while the Men in Orange, who are undefeated at home this season, will be aiming to topple second-placed Gujarat Titans (GT) in the net-run-rate to book a ticket to Qualifier one.
Here are some match-ups and milestones to look forward to in the match:
Klaasen has been going strong for SRH for the past four seasons, having registered four successive seasons of 400-plus runs. He is just 31 runs away from becoming the fifth player to reach 2,000 IPL runs. In 55 matches and 52 innings, he has made 1,969 runs at an average of 45.79 and a strike rate of 168.14, including two centuries and 12 fifties, as per ESPNCricinfo.
This season, he is enjoying a rich run of form with 555 runs in 13 innings at an average of 50.45 and a strike rate of 155.89, including five fifties and a best score of 69.
The RCB skipper has been belting out sixes at will this season, having slammed 337 runs in 11 innings with a strike rate of 192.57, three fifties and 31 sixes.
A spin bully, Patidar has been exceptional against them this season, having the highest strike rate of 214 (among the batters with a minimum of 50 balls faced). But just behind him is Abhishek, who has put his T20 World Cup demons against spin pace him and struck at 213.22 against them, as per ESPNCricinfo.
On one side is the veteran pace duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood for RCB, and on the other side is a young SRH pace unit of Eshan Malinga, Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain spearheaded by Australian superstar Pat Cummins. As per ESPNCricinfo, SRH is the best team in terms of death-overs economy rate so far this season (9.62), with RCB (10.07) being the second-placed side here.
Bhuvneshwar and Abhishek once shared the SRH for years, and the pacer has watched Abhishek's rise to superstardom from close quarters. However, since changing sides, Bhuvneshwar has managed to keep Abhishek quiet, conceding just 14 runs in 11 balls at a strike rate of 127.27, a massive downgrade from his career SR of almost 170, as per Cricbuzz.
Squads: Royal Challengers Bengaluru Squad: Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Venkatesh Iyer, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar, Jordan Cox, Abhinandan Singh, Swapnil Singh, Kanishk Chouhan, Philip Salt, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra, Mangesh Yadav, Satvik Deswal, Richard Gleeson, Jacob Duffy Sunrisers Hyderabad Squad: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Smaran Ravichandran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins(c), Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Praful Hinge, Travis Head, Liam Livingstone, Aniket Verma, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Kamindu Mendis, Zeeshan Ansari, Gerald Coetzee, Dilshan Madushanka, Krains Fuletra, Onkar Tarmale, RS Ambrish, Amit Kumar.
— ANI
Reader Comments
RCB fan here but I have to admit, SRH's death bowling has been phenomenal this season. Economy of 9.62 in the death overs is world-class. Pat Cummins leading that young pace attack of Malinga, Hinge and Hussain - that's some serious talent development happening in Hyderabad.
Rajat Patidar has been brilliant against spin this season, strike rate of 214 is insane! But looking at how Abhishek has improved against spin (213 strike rate), it's going to be a fascinating battle in the middle overs. Two power-hitters on song. 💪
The statistical breakdown is fascinating - Klaasen averaging 45.79 over 4 seasons is seriously impressive. His 168 strike rate in IPL is world-class. RCB will need to get him early or he could single-handedly take the game away from them in the death overs.
Honestly, I think SRH's batting depth is underrated. With Head, Klaasen, Abhishek, and Nitish all in form, they can post 220+ easily. But RCB's bowling with Bhuvneshwar and Hazlewood is no joke. If Bhuvi keeps Abhishek quiet again, that's a huge win for RCB. Should be a thriller! 🏏
Interesting that they mentioned Venkatesh Iyer in the RCB squad - he's been a bit inconsistent this season. But if he fires alongside Patidar and Kohli, RCB's top order looks dangerous. The spin battle between
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