April 25 (Punjab Khabarnama) : Sunrisers Hyderabad will clash with struggling Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their return-leg fixture of the IPL, aiming to capitalise on their formidable batting prowess in what promises to be an explosive encounter. Throughout this IPL season, Sunrisers Hyderabad has redefined T20 batting, breaching the 250-run mark on three occasions. Their aggressive approach knows no bounds, evident from their record-breaking 287/3 against RCB led by Travis Head, surpassing the IPL’s highest-ever total.
In their recent clash against Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers unleashed a brutal assault, setting a record 125/0 in the powerplay, hinting at the possibility of breaching the elusive 300-run mark. Against a fragile RCB bowling attack, SRH will back their chances to achieve the unthinkable.
RCB, languishing at the bottom of the table, face an uphill battle with their bowling struggles, conceding 180+ in their last five matches. Despite RCB’s batting resilience, their lopsided squad struggles to deliver all-round performances.
In a recent nail-biter against Kolkata Knight Riders, RCB’s valiant batting effort was in vain, losing by a mere run after conceding 222/6. Virat Kohli remains RCB’s standout performer, holding the Orange Cap with 379 runs, but SRH’s Travis Head poses a strong challenge with his aggressive yet precise batting.
Head’s partnership with Abhishek Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen has bolstered SRH’s batting lineup, easing the pressure on bowlers and skipper Pat Cummins. SRH sit comfortably in third place with 10 points from seven matches, relying mostly on their batters’ firepower.
While RCB have been lacklustre, they can draw inspiration from their previous match against KKR, where they almost defied the odds in the mammoth 223-run chase. They did lose by only a single run, but head coach Andy Flower and the team management would desire more of the same from the RCB players in their remaining matches in the season.