With a 6-6 head-to-head count, there’s nothing to separate the two teams.
The points table in the bottom half is getting cramped up with every passing game. Teams have neither been eliminated nor have they made the playoffs in the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The 40th match of the league stage will be played between the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Thursday, October 22 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Both sides are in similar positions, having lost six matches. In their last meeting at the same venue, it was the Royals, who came out trumps.
Pitch and Conditions
The pitch in Dubai has started to get better for batting with every passing match. It has helped the bowlers, but the batters have been able to play their strokes freely.
Teams, batting second have also started to taste quite a bit of success. The playing conditions will be warm with the temperature around the 30 degrees Celsius mark. The humidity will be in the 40s with dew unlikely to play a part.
Playing Combinations for RR vs SRH
Rajasthan Royals
Probable XI
Robin Uthappa, Ben Stokes, Sanju Samson (wk), Steve Smith (C), Jos Buttler, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer, Riyan Parag, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Probable XI
Jonny Bairstow (wk), Kane Williamson/Jason Holder/Mohammad Nabi, Priyam Garg, David Warner (C), Manish Pandey, Vijay Shankar, Abdul Samad, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, T Natarajan, Basil Thampi
Probable Top Performers for RR vs SRH
Steve Smith– Rajasthan Royals
Steve Smith has found his form back after a string of low scores. He scored a half-century against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to arrest his slump.
Though he didn’t get a whole lot of runs against the Super Kings, he made sure that he lent Jos Buttler the support. Thus far, Smith has 246 runs at an average of 27.33. The Aussie can take confidence from the three fifties he has scored.
Jonny Bairstow– Sunrisers Hyderabad
Jonny Bairstow has looked fluent at the top of the batting order. He has been able to give SRH the start they need in the mandatory powerplay.
In nine games thus far, the Englishman has 316 runs at an average and strike-rate of 35.11 and 128.97 respectively. The last time when he played against the Royals, he got out cheaply. This time around, the Sunrisers’ opener will want a substantial score.
RR vs SRH Head to Head
Overall
Played- 12 |RR won- 6 | SRH won- 6 | N/R- 0
At neutral venues (outside India)
Played- 4 | RR won- 3 | SRH won- 1 | N/R- 0
Average first innings score: 174 (17 matches in IPL 2020)
Record of chasing teams: Won- 5 | Lost- 12
Broadcast Details
Match timings – 06:00 PM local time, 07:30 PM IST
TV – Star Sports 1, Star Sports 2, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 Select, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 2 HD, Star Sports 1 Select HD, and Star Sports 1 HD Hindi.
Live Streaming – The match can be streamed online on Disney + Hotstar VIP.