The Sunrisers Hyderabad are in excellent form, especially with the bat, having won 5 out of 7 matches played so far. The team is currently placed 3rd in the points table, and a victory here would significantly enhance their playoff chances. The opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head has been ruthless in their attack during powerplay overs. The duo amassed an incredible 125 runs within the first 6 overs against DC, enabling the team to cross the 250-run mark. No other team has a higher scoring rate within the first six overs than SRH. With players like Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, Shahbaz Ahmed, and Abdul Samad following them, opposing bowlers often find no respite. Markets such as “Most Sixes”, “Most Fours”, as well as session markets for the first 6 overs, first 10 overs, etc., bring generous profits for those backing SRH. The Sunrisers’ bowling unit has also produced some big results, which is something the team needs to build on. If their batsmen fail to fire, SRH could be vulnerable to defeat, as most of their frontline bowlers, including Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Markande, Jaydev Unadkat, and Washington Sundar, have conceded more than 10 runs per over. In comparison, T. Natarajan and Pat Cummins have performed better, claiming a combined total of 19 wickets. Things are looking good for SRH, and they are in a much better position than RCB. Their risky approach has yielded high rewards so far, but an impressive collapse is always a possibility.
On Sunday, RCB faced yet another disappointment, suffering a defeat to KKR in an exciting match. At the moment, the team has lost 6 matches in a row and occupies the last place in the table. Despite the defeat, RCB will take away several positives from the match and build on them. While the opening pair of Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli suffered a rare failure, the middle-order players, including Rajat Patidar, Will Jacks, and Suyash Prabhudessai, stepped up to keep the team in the hunt during the chase. Dinesh Karthik remains a typical finisher and ranks second in the team’s list of top scorers. RCB may not have the depth of SRH, but it’s still a fairly dangerous lineup. It can compete with the SRH team if the match produces a relatively average outcome. Bowling has been a major disappointment for RCB. Mohammed Siraj, Rishi Topli, and Lockie Ferguson are the team’s top performers, but they haven’t had the desired impact. Spinners have also struggled: Karn Sharma has taken just one wicket in two matches. RCB has made many changes and even brought back players it lost just a few matches ago. Uncertainty in their choices is not the best option when facing the most dangerous lineup of players in IPL 2024.
