The Great Indian Cricket Festival is slowly entering its commercial end, and the battle for fourth place only seems to be heating up. The Royal Challengers Bangalore’s sweeping 8-pitch victory over the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) yesterday has left the race open for that last spot in the playoffs.
Tonight, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) face the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in a match that will see the winner climb to fifth place and one step closer to the top 4. The two teams reach the 2020 IPL Match 40 thanks to contrasting results.
While SRH came up short on a bite and was eventually defeated by KKR in a Super Over, RR systematically disarmed a fighting Chennai Super Kings (CSK) outfit. A disciplined effort by the Royals bowling unit saw them throttle CSK’s hitting and restrict them to just 125/5 in their quota of 20 overs.
In response, Jos Buttler took matters into his own hands after a mini hitting collapse right over the top. An undefeated 48-ball 70 saw the goalie-hitter named Man of the Match after he and captain Steve Smith established an unbroken 98-run partnership to guide the team home.
SRH was not as successful in his last chase, of course. A belated flourish from captain David Warner saw them match the goal set by KKR, but they did not win. A fantastic Lockie Ferguson Super Over restricted SRH to just two runs, and KKR chased that down without breaking a sweat.
Having squandered an opportunity to get close to the top 4, SRH will want to make amends and do whatever it takes to beat RR tonight. Considering the stakes, this RR v SRH match at Dubai International Stadium may turn out to be a success.
IPL 2020: Prediction of the RR v SRH match
Posted Oct 22, 2020 12:26 PM IST
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