Deadline: April 14, 7:30 PM IST
Hyderabad’s strength is their bowling, and if their bowlers fail to apply themselves sensibly, their batsmen will face the heat. It was exactly the case in their opening game against Kolkata. They did manage to pull the game in their favour with quick wickets but squandered big time at the death.
Bangalore too have concerns. The heavy reliance on AB de Villiers to finish games can cost them, and although they are aware of it, they don’t have an ideal solution. Washington Sundar is talented and Daniel Christian can muscle the ball, but in a game that requires 10 RPO in the last 5 overs, their skills will be greatly tested.
Probable 11
Hyderabad: David Warner (c), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Manish Pandey, Jonny Bairstow, Mohammad Nabi, Vijay Shankar, Abdul Samad, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma/Shahbaz Nadeem, T Natarajan
Bangalore: Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers (wk), Washington Sundar, Daniel Christian, Kyle Jamieson, Harshal Patel, Mohammad Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal
Fantasy Team
We have opted for a fantasy cricket team based on recent performances, impact, and credit points.
If you are the highest run-scorer in a team that has both Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, you must have great skills. Devdutt Padikkal, in his maiden season, smashed 473 runs including 5 half-centuries. His return at the top will further bolster Bangalore’s batting.
Hyderabad has a lot of belligerence in their batting, but they need to sort out their order. Had Abdul Samad batted at No. 5, ahead of Mohammad Nabi and Vijay Shankar, they would have inched closer to the victory in the penultimate over. Manish Pandey and Jonny Bairstow scored spectacular fifties, but both failed to accelerate at the right time. By the time Samad hit those sixes, it was too late for them.
Bangalore might pit Washington Sundar’s off-spinners against David Warner. Against Kolkata, Warner struggled against Harbhajan. Sundar especially bowls faster, and if the ball darts in due to the drift, Warner is likely to get lbw. The strategy, however, will be clear. Wriddhiman Saha will counterattack right away as he did the other day, while Warner will hold the innings together in the powerplay.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled uncharacteristically. With the third-man up, Bhuvi consistently bowled outside off and leaked runs. Besides, with very little swing on offer at the Chepauk, Hyderabad are likely to replace Sandeep Sharma with Shahbaz Nadeem. Not that Sandeep bowled ordinary delivery, but with the lack of movement off the wicket and pace from his shoulders, he is less likely to provide impetus.
Bangalore could not have bowled better, although they could have fielded better. Mohammad Siraj bowled with discipline and might have had 2 wickets in his tally had they held on to the catches. For that matter, he too was guilty of dropping one.
Pitch Report
A wicket or two falls in the powerplay. From overs 6 to 12, batting becomes easier. And then comes another wave of wickets. To put things into perspective, wickets will fall at regular intervals and the batsmen will have to make the most of it while they are at the crease. Holding on your wicket can only put your team in further trouble.