After a gap of 20 days, you’ll finally see the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in action as the Rajat Patidar-led side face the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Match 65. Originally, this fixture was supposed to be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium but has been shifted to the Ekana Stadium, Lucknow due to poor weather conditions in Bengaluru.
While RCB eye top-two finish, SRH have nothing but pride to play for. The Pat Cummins-led unit got eliminated early on in the tournament and now eye a better end to their campaign.
Will Travis Head play RCB vs SRH match?
On the eve of their previous clash against the Lucknow Super Giants, SRH head coach Daniel Vettori confirmed that Travis Head got tested positive for COVID-19. He, thus, missed the LSG vs SRH fixture.
SRH replaced Head with Indian uncapped talent Atharva Taide, who looked decent with his three boundaries, but couldn’t nail down a spot (13 off 9). Now, Head is likely to be inserted back into the playing XI. The Australian has finally tested negative for the virus. Hence, Head is all but confirmed to be slotted back alongside Abhishek Sharma, who won the Player of the Match award in the previous game.
Head’s comeback will force another change. Kamindu Mendis, an overseas option, is most likely to make way too to accomodate the Australian. Abhinav Manohar could be a perfect option to replace the Sri Lankan.
SRH Playing XI (Predicted) vs RCB
| S. No. | Player | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Travis Head | Batter |
| 2 | Abhishek Sharma | Batting all-rounder |
| 3 | Ishan Kishan | Wicket-Keeper |
| 4 | Nitish Kumar Reddy | Batting all-rounder |
| 5 | Aniket Verma | Finisher |
| 6 | Heinrich Klaasen | Wicket-Keeper |
| 7 | Abhinav Manohar | Batting all-rounder |
| 8 | Pat Cummins | Bowling all-rounder |
| 9 | Harshal Patel | Pacer |
| 10 | Eshan Malinga | Pacer |
| 11 | Zeeshan Ansari | Spinner |
| 12 (Impact) | Harsh Dubey | Spinner |
Otherwise, the rest of the playing lineup remains the same. On what came as a major boost, Nitish Kumar Reddy resumed bowling for SRH. This will give Cummins another pace-bowling option and allows him to play an extra spinner in Harsh Dubey. Dubey, who had a dream Ranji Trophy this season, had an ordinary IPL debut (1/44) but showed promise with his guile.
