History
These sides have faced each other in 2 finals previously, and SRH came on top on both occasions. First it was Adam Gilchrist who single-handedly took them to the title in 2009 and then David Warner inspirationally won the title in 2016.
The teams have faced each other 16 times, with SRH leading 8-7, and one match was abandoned due to rain. Since the 2016 IPL Final, SRH have reached the play-offs in every single season, while RCB have finished bottom of the table twice and 6th in 2018. Earlier this season RCB comfortably chased down the target set by SRH.
Team News
SRH lost both their opening 2 matches, and were rock bottom of the table before their clash with Delhi Capitals. However, they regrouped and beat the table toppers with an impressive bowling performance, led by Rashid Khan and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar. They followed that up with another impressive victory of Chennai Super Kings, but faltered against Mumbai Indians.
After that they scored 200+ against KXIP for a huge win, before throwing away the game from a winning position against RR. They then lost to a resurgent CSK side by 20 runs, and followed it up with a 3rd consecutive defeat against KKR, clearly suffering from the absence of Bhuvaneshwar Kumar. However, in their match against Rajasthan Royals, despite losing both their openers early, SRH secured an impressive win with a huge partnership between Pandey and Shankar. However, then they had an incredible collapse from a winning position to lose against KXIP.They followed that up with a brilliant victory over DC.
RCB had a nightmare start to the tournament in contrast, being thrashed by KXIP by a mammoth 97 runs in their opening game. However, they bounced back well with impressive victories over Hyderabad and Mumbai. Virat Kohli finally delivered after 3 poor performances, and he along with the very impressive Devdutt Padikkal took RCB to glory against the Rajasthan Royals.
However, Delhi Capitals beat RCB by a huge margin after that. Kohli again hit top gear to hit a match-winning knock as RCB defeated CSK comfortably. A vintage ABD blast got RCB another impressive victory over KKR, to put them 3rd in the table. They lost to bottom of the table KXIP, but managed to retain their 3rd place in the league table. This was followed by a 22 ball blast by ABD (55*) that led RCB to an impressive win against RR. In their previous match they restricted KKR to a mere 82, and chased it down to win by 8 wickets. They lost as Chennai Super Kings cruised to a comfortable win, then followed that up with another defeat to MI.
Betting Preview, Picks And Prediction
To Win The Match
RCB are the favourites to win the match with odds of 1.75 as per LeoVegas, which is a bit surprising considering they have lost their last 2 matches. SRH won their previous match convincingly but are struggling in 7th place, and are 2.08 to win this crunch match.
Top Team Batsman
SRH captain David Warner is unsurprisingly the favourite to be their top batsman in this match with odds of 3.00. His opening partner Johnny Bairstow has odds of 3.50, while the dependable Kane Williamson has odds of 5.00. The consistent Manish Pandey has odds of 4.50, which is an attractive bet.
Captain Virat Kohli is the favourite from RCB to be the top scorer as he is now back in form, with odds of 3.25. AB Devilliers is 3.75 to finish as the top scorer again. He went berserk against the RR bowlers with sixes all over the pitch in trademark style. Youth sensation Devdutt Padikkal has been in brilliant form and is 4.00 to be the top scorer as per LeoVegas.
Highest Opening Partnership
Both these teams are equally poised @1.90 to have the highest opening partnership in this match. This is primarily because both have a fixed opening pair, who have both been prolific this season.
Top Team Bowler
Rashid Khan is unsurprisingly SRH’s favourite to be the top team bowler at 2.62, followed by Jason Holder at 4.00 and Khaleel at 4.50.
Yuzvendra Chahal is the undisputed favourite to be RCB’s top bowler in this match, with odds of 3.25 after a wicket-laden tournament so far. He is followed by Christ Morris at 4.00, who finally made his much-awaited RCB debut and enjoyed a wicket-laden spell.
Total Runs In The Match
Odds of there being more than 336.5 runs in this match are 1.71, as per LeoVegas. This seems highly achievable as both these teams have some brilliant batsmen and are known for posting huge totals.
Individual Player Betting
- Virat Kohli to score more than 30.5 runs has odds of 1.87, which is also a tempting bet as he would like to continue his current form. Jonny Bairstow to score more than 24.5 runs has odds of 1.87 , which is a tempting bet as he would like to bounce back with a solid innings.
- SRH to hit the most sixes depends heavily on their openers, and the odds are 2.25. RCB to hit the most sixes has odds of 1.91, which is understandable as they have ABD and Finch who prefer the aerial route more often than not.
- Chahal to take 2 or more wickets has odds of 2.20, which is attractive as he can snap up key middle-over wickets. Rashid to take 2 or more wickets also has odds of 2.20, which is attractive as he can bowl in the powerplay as well as death overs.
Our Top Betting Picks
- SRH to win the match @2.08
- SRH to hit the most sixes @2.25
- RCB to have the Highest Opening Partnership @1.90
- Chahal to be RCB’s top bowler @3.25
