RR vs SRH 28th Match Prediction

RR vs SRH Team Previews

Rajasthan Royals

If there's one team in the tournament that has performed less than the sum of its parts, it is Rajasthan Royals. The Royals had so many match-winners available when the tournament started, but thanks to poor execution, they have not able to convert that on-paper strength to onfield performances. Currently, they are one spot shy of the bottom-most position, which they'll get to if they do not register a win against the Sunrisers.

Rajasthan Royals are won just two matches thus far and now need to win at least five of their remaining eight matches to have any shot at qualification. For that to happen, they'll need their batsmen to fire, which hasn't been the case so far. The good thing for them is that Jos Buttler finally looked in some form in the last match and it makes perfect sense to bet on Buttler to be the top scorer for the Royals on Sunday.

Apart from Buttler and Samson, however, their batting has lacked spark. Shivam Dube has looked good in patches, but his innings against Mumbai Indians exposed a lack of footwork, which the Sunrisers will be looking to exploit. Having said that, the Royals do have a batting unit that goes deep. They shouldn't have a problem in scoring an above-average total even against a decent bowling lineup of Sunrisers. In fact, if the top-order fires for the Royals, they'll be targeting a first-innings total of at least 180. This is another lucrative punt you can make in this match.

Rajasthan Royals' bowling has been a story of a tale of inconsistency. They have brilliant and times and when they have not, they have shown utter lacked any sharpness whatsoever. On a surface that will not be easy to bowl at, the Royals might consider making a couple of changes to their bowling unit. Considering how useful Rahul Chahar for Mumbai Indians in the Royals' previous match, we might see Shreyas Gopal come into the playing eleven.

Overall, the story for the Royals this season hasn't been too different from how they have done over the years. They have always had a terrific team on paper, but lack of execution and poor team-selection decisions have so often cost them. They already have some things working their way and if they can improve on certain above-stated things, the Royals should be in business, not just in the upcoming match, but also in the tournament.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Perceived to be one of the better-balanced teams before the competition started, Sunrisers Hyderabad have played exactly opposite to what was expected from them. Their batting has looked rather cautious whereas the bowling has looked over-reliant on a couple of players. Not surprisingly, the results and their position on the points table just verifies that.

As it stands, the Sunrisers Hyderabad are placed at the bottom of the points table and will need a miraculous run from there to qualify for the playoffs. In six completed games, they have won just one match and will now need to register a string of wins to have a chance to progress to the next round.

The major disappointment for them has been the form of David Warner, who himself admitted that his slow knock was somewhat responsible for Sunrisers' previous defeat. Taking a cue from that, we expect David Warner to back his natural game of playing with aggression, and with Bairstow already in prime form, Sunrisers will be eying a quick start. For that reason, you may want to look at the bet in favor of the Sunrisers scoring over 49 runs at the end of the powerplay in this upcoming match.

The Sunrisers have always been known for their superb bowling unit, but that hasn't been apparent in this edition so far. Their bowlers have so far struggled to pick wickets in powerplay and the absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar has only added to their concerns. Barring Rashid Khan, none of their bowlers has looked threatening at any stage of the game. They have an option of bringing in Jason Holder to bolster the bowling unit, but that would mean leaving out either one of Warner, Bairstow, or Williamson, which, of course, would not be a wise move given the form of their batting unit.

Against CSK, the only wicket-taker for Sunrisers Hyderabad happened to be Rashid Khan, who finished with three wickets to his name. Given the form, he is in and the fact that no other bowler has looked like picking wickets, Rashid Khan being the best bowler for Sunrisers is one bet that you would not want to miss.

All in all, the Sunrisers Hyderabad have a lot of work to do. Thankfully for them, their batting finally looks settled with Kane Williamson and Kedar Jadhav coming in. On the bowling front, however, they'll need to find someone other than Rashid Khan to deliver the goods. If they manage to do that, the Sunrisers may well start moving in the right direction.

Update: Sunrisers' management announced that Williamson will be taking over from Warner and there will be a change in their overseas contingent. We expect Holder to come in and that will certainly bolster their bowling. Having said that, Warner was beginning to get back into some form and this could move could very well backfire. Even after this change, our prediction remains unchanged.