Royal Challenger Bangalore vs Sunriser Hyderabad Match Prediction and Betting Tips
RCB vs KKR match prediction and analysis
Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders will clash in the 28th match of IPL 2020 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah on Friday. This will be a great encounter between the two sides, with KKR holding a 14-10 head-to-head advantage against RCB. Both sides started their IPL 2020 campaign with a bang.
High on confidence after a win, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will host Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2020 clash at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
RCB are currently fourth in the IPL 2020 points table after four wins from six matches while with the same outcome KKR are a place ahead due to their superior net run rate. RCB registered a big win in their previous match against CSK with Virat Kohli leading the team from the front. The Bangalore franchise will expect Devdutt Padikkal to get off to a good start. Although Aaron Finch has not quite delivered for the side. AB de Villiers will be the key in the middle-order with Navdeep Saini and Yuzvendra Chahal important in the bowling department.
Pitch Report
The Sharjah Cricket Stadium has been a graveyard for the bowlers, with the average first-innings score in IPL 2020 being 219. In three games, over 100 sixes have been hit and another run-fest can be expected on Friday. In those matches, the team, batting first put pressure on the opposition. Hence, teams can avoid chasing though the nature of the pitch won’t change much. The temperature will be around 33 degrees with the humidity in the 50s. Although there is some swing on offer for the pacers early on, the dimensions of the ground play into the batsmen’s hands. The spinners are in for a tough time at this venue, with the batsmen having targeted the short square boundaries in all of the four games played here in IPL 2020. Although the team batting first has won three out of the four games played in Sharjah, both teams would look to chase upon winning the toss with dew likely to play a part in the latter half of the match.
Team Preview
RCB
RCB has a good start in IPL 2020 but not nearly as positive. We think the team has been lucky to be on the winning side in at least two of the matches. Now, against KKR, Virat and his men will need to be smart.
We are not convinced about Aaron Finch at the top of the order. KKR could target him with a few overs from Narine in the powerplay.
Aaron Finch is too inconsistent to be a factor on most days, which leaves Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers carrying the load of the batting. Chris Morris should make an entry into the team, as per what Virat said, and so the lower-order could be a bit vulnerable. Morris is playing his second match and could take a little time to get used to the conditions. Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, and Isuru Udana are not a fearsome lower-order at all. Another place where we can see RCB struggle a bit is in the bowling. Its strategy of bowling spin for almost half of the overs in recent matches could come unstuck against Morgan and Gill. Chahal and Sundar are going to be under tremendous pressure to get their lines right.
It may appear so but we don’t think RCB has that much of an advantage over KKR in any aspect of the game.
KKR
Not often do we see KXIP losing from a position of strength. However, they did in their last match wherein they were playing against Kolkata Knight Riders. It was a great tactical win by Kolkata Knight Riders that took them to the third spot on the points table. It was an excellent amalgamation of innovation, skill, and tactics that helped Kolkata Knight Riders eventually end up ahead against KXIP. However, the move to keep Sunil Narine till the very end paid rich dividends as he picked up the all-important wicket of Nicholas Pooran and didn’t allow KL Rahul to score many in the same over. However, the management won’t be concerned about that considering the way all the bowlers have bowled for KKR in the tournament so far. With almost seven bowlers available to bowl, Kolkata Knight Riders are one of the better-balanced teams in the competition and that could be a significant advantage to have in the shortest version of the game. It’s not that their batting lineup is thinly stacked. They have the likes of Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Nitish Rana, and Shubhman Gill available, whom all have looked good in the middle. On paper, Kolkata Knight Riders have an immaculately balanced team, but performing consistently has been an issue with them thus far. While they have good batsmen available right through, they rely heavily on Eoin Morgan and Andre Russell to score heavily at the end. We believe that the decision to open with Rahul Tripathi will help the Knight Riders to sort their issues out, as far as consistency is concerned. With the ball, they have a wide array of options available, be it in the powerplay or at the death. Kolkata Knight Riders are one of the most unpredictable teams of the tournament. While watching them play can be frustrating at times, they can also produce some of the most glorious moments, just as we saw in their previous match. They have match-winners available right through their lineup, in both departments of the game, with almost everyone capable enough to carry the team.
RCB vs KKR betting tips and odds:
RCB to win
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1. KKR and RCB have won their last match but we are backing up RCB to win. Both teams have played each other 23 times in the Indian Premier League. KKR have the advantage in the head-to-head meetings as they emerged victorious 14 times. RCB has 9 wins against KKR in the IPL.
2. RCB and KKR played the first ever match in the history of the IPL at this stadium in 2008. Since then they have played each other in Bengaluru 9 times. KKR have managed to win 5 times as compared to RCB’s four.
3. RCB captain Virat Kohli is the top run-getter in this particular fixture with 490 runs. For KKR, Russell has the most runs against RCB with 179.
4. The honour of the taking the most wickets in this fixture goes to KKR’s Sunil Narine. He has taken 14 wickets against RCB. Yuzvendra Chahal has 10 wickets against KKR to become RCB’s top wicket-taker.
5. KKR have scored the highest team total in RCB vs KKR matches at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. They hit 222/3 in IPL 2008 where Brendon McCullum hit an unbeaten 158 and RCB got bowled out for just 83 runs.
Match Prediction: Royal Challengers Bangalore to win
Over 11.5 wickets in the match
This bet has landed in eight of the 11 combined matches contested by these two sides.
Neither batting lineup is firing particularly well at the moment, while strong bowling attacks on both sides should see plenty of wickets fall again on Monday.
Virat Kholi to score over 18.5 runs
RCB captain Virat Kohli has returned back to form after a few poor outings. He has been in thick of things for not performing with the bat and dropping key catches in the previous game. However it is a known fact that if Kohli gets going then he can single-handedly thrash an opponent. Kohli might come to bat at his usual No.3 slot or drop down the order depending upon the need of the team.
Y Chahal to take one plus wiclet
Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal will play the most vital role in RCB bowling attack. In the slow pitches in UAE, Chahal has proved to be a match-winner and will look to deceive the Mumbai Indians batsmen with his spin.
Shubman Gill to score over 24.5 runs
Gill was dismissed cheaply in Kolkata’s last match against Chennai, but the young star rarely fails twice in a row.
He has passed this mark in three of his five innings in this year’s IPL.
Top Batsman (Runs Scored) – Eoin Morgan (Kolkata Knight Riders), AB de Villiers (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Top Bowler (Wickets taken) – P Krishna (Kolkata Knight Riders), Y Chahal (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Most Sixes – Eoin Morgan (Kolkata Knight Riders), AB de Villiers (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Man of the Match – AB de Villiers
Team Scores Batting first – Kolkata Knight Riders 200+, Royal Challengers Bangalore 200+
