Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will start their IPL 2020 campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on 21st September.
David Warner will be leading the orange army after a gap of two years as he was reappointed as captain earlier this year. On the other hand, RCB has its usual captain in Virat Kohli who will be under pressure to win an IPL trophy.
Both the teams have their strengths and weaknesses but they would like to start the tournament on a winning note so they don’t come under pressure in the later part of the season. RCB and SRH, both the teams have superstars like – Virat Kohli, AB De Villiers, David Warner, and Rashid Khan so it would be a contest to watch out for when these two teams take on each other.
Match Details
Match 3- Sunrisers Hyderabad v Royal Challengers Bangalore
21st September, 07:30 PM IST.
Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
Pitch and Weather Report
The temperature will mostly remain in the mid and high 30s during the match which means that the players will feel the heat while they are on the field. Other than that, most probably there is no chance of rain in Dubai.
The pitch at this venue is generally a low scoring one but it might be a good batting wicket at least at the start of the tournament. A score around 160-170 could be a good one to defend if you have some good bowlers.
Squads
Sunrisers Hyderabad
David Warner (C), Jonny Bairstow, Wriddhiman Saha, Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Priyam Garg, Vijay Shankar, Abdul Samad, Virat Singh, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Fabian Allen, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma, Billy Stanlake, Siddarth Kaul, Basil Thampi, T Natarajan, Mitchell Marsh, Abhishek Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Shreevats Goswami, Bavanaka Sandeep
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Virat Kohli (C), Aaron Finch, AB De Villiers, Parthiv Patel, Devdutt Padikkal, Josh Philippe, Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Chris Morris, Isuru Udana, Dale Steyn, Yuzvendra Chahal, Adam Zampa, Washington Sundar, Adam Zampa, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Mohammad Siraj, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pavan Deshpande
Team News
Sunrisers Hyderabad
SRH has the best opening pair in David Warner and Jonny Bairstow but when you look at their middle-order then it is not as exciting as the opening pair. The likes of Manish Pandey and Vijay Shankar need to step up if SRH wants to perform better this year. Kane Williamson might have to sit out if they want to play Mohammad Nabi because of the slow conditions.
Rashid Khan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be their key bowlers throughout the tournament and the other Indian pacers need to support them. SRH will look to start this tournament on a winning note by defeating RCB in their first game.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Just like every year, the same questions are being asked about RCB as to whether they can lift the trophy this year. RCB has got some new additions to their team which could prove crucial in this year’s IPL. Aaron Finch might open the batting and he will be key as his role would be to ease the pressure of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.
They have roped in Chris Morris as an overseas all-rounder who might be their death bowler as well. The middle-order comprising of Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, and Washington Sundar needs to score consistently if RCB wants to do something special. All eyes will be on the young Devdutt Padikkal as the question is whether he will get a place in the XI and if he gets a place then who will keep wickets.
Apart from Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers; Aaron Finch and Moeen Ali will be the key players for RCB.
Fantasy Prediction
David Warner, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Manish Pandey, Jonny Bairstow, AB De Villiers, Mohammad Nabi, Shivam Dube, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal
Captain: David Warner, Vice-Captain: Yuzvendra Chahal
