Its desperation time for the Virat Kohli led Royal Challengers Bangalore against Sunrisers tonight at the Chinnaswamy. With their backs against the wall, RCB face a potent Sunrisers who have already made it through to the playoffs.
With two back to back wins RCB is confident of turning it around just at the right time of their campaign. SRH, on the other hand, have dipped their form post their qualification to the playoffs.
At home, Bangalore is always the team to beat with their batting prowess. Kohli and AB de Villiers have been the mainstays of the team while their bowlers also have stepped up at the right time. Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav and Mohd Siraj have formed a formidable trio for the team in red. Chahal has found form off late as well to add to their bowling line up.
Sunrisers lost their last match against CSK and in this match, they are willing to test their bench strength. There is a possibility they might play Carlos Braithwaite tonight. While the result may not make any difference to SRH, there's a chance to put their high-performing bowling unit to a tough test against the carefree approach of RCB at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, that boasts batsmen-friendly dimensions.
The weather and playing conditions tonight in Banglore does not give good signs. The climate is expected to be cloudy with a maximum of 28 degrees.
This match is thus a make or break for RCB as they need to win this match to stay in the contest. A lost rests on the shoulders of Virat Kohli the skipper and it will be interesting to see how he leads his team in a must-win contest.
Toss:
Sunrisers Hyderabad have won the toss and have opted to field
Playing XI
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli(c), Parthiv Patel(w), Moeen Ali, AB de Villiers, Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Colin de Grandhomme, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal
Sunrisers Hyderabad : Shikhar Dhawan, Alex Hales, Kane Williamson(c), Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Shakib Al Hasan, Shreevats Goswami(w), Rashid Khan, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma, Basil Thampi
