The SunRisers Hyderabad will be up against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a highly-anticipated clash on Friday, May 22 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru are entering the clash on the back of a three-game winning streak, with a six-wicket win over the Kolkata Knight Riders in the most-recent clash. On the other hand, the SunRisers Hyderabad will enter the match on the back of a five-wicket win over the Chennai Super Kings. Both teams have secured a playoff berth, but the final battle comes down to securing a top two spot to earn a spot in Qualifier 1.

Both the teams need to secure favorable results to secure their positions. Fans can anticipate a thundering clash as the two teams will fight to claim a top-2 finish.

 

How can SunRisers Hyderabad finish in top 2?

Notably, the Rajat Patidar-led Royal Challengers are seeded on the top of the standings with 18 points in 13 games and have a net run rate of +1.065. On the other hand, their rivals have currently occupied the third spot with 16 points in 13 games and an NRR of +0.350. With a win on Friday, the Orange Army would be able to match RCB’s 18 points but they would need a bigger margin to overcome their NRR.

Win margin SRH need to record to finish in Top 2

  • If SunRisers Hyderabad put up a total of around 250 while batting first, they need to restrict their rivals under 160.

  • In case they put up a total of 200, their win margin should be of 87 runs or more.

  • However, if they are chasing a total of 200+, the Pat Cummins-led side need to win the game in around 11.2 overs.

While this result could be achieved, the SunRisers Hyderabad would be required to get an early breakthrough. They need to ensure that Virat Kohli, RCB’s talismanic and legendary batter, walks back to the dugout early. The former RCB skipper is currently seeded sixth in the Orange Cap race with 542* runs in 13 innings. He has recorded 105* as his highest score and is averaging 54.20 runs.

Per stats, RCB has lost all four games where Kohli was dismissed in the powerplay. An early wicket of Kohli could lead to their batting collapse, giving the home team an edge.