Team Bangalore will look to make it two wins in two in the 2021 Indian T20 League campaign as they take on Hyderabad at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday.
Harshal Patel was the chief orchestrator of Bangalore’s emphatic two-wicket win over Mumbai, which essentially extended their record of losing the first game of an Indian T20 edition since 2012. Virat Kohli and Co, thus, will be confident of picking their third win in six meetings against Hyderabad.
On the other hand, a David Warner-led Hyderabad eye the first win of the new campaign following their 10-run loss to Kolkata over the weekend.
Hyderabad vs Bangalore full squads
Hyderabad: David Warner (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Basil Thampi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jonny Bairstow (wicket-keeper), Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Shreevats Goswami (wicket-keeper), Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan, Vijay Shankar, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Virat Singh, Priyam Garg, Jason Holder, Abdul Samad, Jagadeesha Suchith, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb ur Rahman
Bangalore: Virat Kohli (captain), AB de Villiers (wicket-keeper), Devdutt Padikkal, Gurkeerat Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Finn Allen (wicket-keeper), Pavan Deshpande, Shahbaz Ahamad, Adam Zampa, Glenn Maxwell, Kyle Jamieson, Dan Christian, Sachin Baby, Rajat Patidar, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Srikar Bharat, Suyash Prabhudessai
Hyderabad vs Bangalore probable XI prediction
Hyderabad could bring back Kane Williamson into the playing XI, having left him out of their opening game of the Indian T20 League 2021 season against Kolkata. While this adds to the batting strengths, it means that the side will have to drop Vijay Shankar to the bench.
Hyderabad predicted XI: David Warner (captain), Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Jonny Bairstow, Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Mohammad Nabi, Abdul Samad, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma
Bangalore are boosted by the return of Devdutt Padikkal, who was in quarantine having tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the 2021 season. His inclusion means Shahbaz Ahmed will have to make way.
Bangalore predicted XI: Virat Kohli (captain), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, AB de Villiers (wicket-keeper), Glenn Maxwell, Daniel Christian, Washington Sundar, Kyle Jamieson, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal
Hyderabad vs Bangalore head-to-head record in Indian T20 League
Hyderabad enjoy a comfortable position in the head-to-head record against Bangalore, winning 10 of their 17 matches. They also have the edge in recent matchups, winning three of their last five meetings with Virat Kohli’s men.
| Hyderabad vs Bangalore head-to-head | ||
| Hyderabad | Metrics | Bangalore |
| 17 | Matches | 17 |
| 10 | Wins | 7 |
| 58.82% | Win percentage | 41.18% |
On the flip side, it is Bangalore who have fared better at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. While Hyderabad have lost each of their four games at this ground, Virat Kohli and Co. have three wins in 10 games.
Hyderabad vs Bangalore: Match result prediction
Hyderabad may be on the front foot when it comes to the head-to-head record, but the odds are in favour of Bangalore making it two wins in two in Indian T20 League 2021. Virat Kohli’s men exploited the conditions at Chennai in the season-opener, and are poised to do the same against a Hyderabad team that is expected to run out of steam at a certain point in the game.
Best performers in Hyderabad vs Bangalore
Top tip: Best batsmen
To counter Bangalore’s bowling attack, Hyderabad might draft in Kane Williamson to the playing XI. With over 5,000 runs in T20 cricket, the New Zealand star has 1,619 runs from 53 matches in the Indian T20 League. While first-choice pick David Warner might struggle for runs, it is safe to place bets on Kane Williamson to pile up the runs alongside Jonny Bairstow.
Having completed his quarantine, Devdutt Padikkal is available for selection and Bangalore could utilise him to exploit Hyderabad’s pacers. In case you didn’t know, the 20-year-old finished as Bangalore’s highest run-getter in the 2020 season - 473 runs in 15 matches - and he will be eager to cap off a confident start to Indian T20 League 2021.
Top tip: Best bowlers
The biggest highlight of the Hyderabad vs Bangalore tie will be Sandeep Sharma’s rivalry with Bangalore captain Virat Kohli. Despite not being under the limelight, the 27-year-old has dismissed Virat Kohli seven times in 13 innings while conceding just 73 runs. These figures are something worth considering to make Sandeep Sharma as the pick among bowlers, as no other bowler has been successful to restrict the Indian T20 League’s leading run-getter in such a manner.
For Bangalore, Yuzvendra Chahal is predicted to be the game-changing bowler. The 30-year-old is one of the most successful spinners in the Indian T20 League, with 121 wickets at an economy rate of 7.69 and will be eager to exploit David Warner’s weakness against spin.
Top tip: All-rounders and wicket-keepers
Hyderabad lack a quality all-rounder, which makes it difficult to carry the innings in the middle overs. In this regard, Bangalore can breathe a sigh of relief as Glenn Maxwell seems to have settled well for his new owners. The swashbuckling Australian scored 39 against Mumbai, his highest score in the last 21 innings, and is someone to consider as the top-performing all-rounder for this game.
It goes without saying that one will fancy AB de Villiers as the top wicket-keeper for the Hyderabad vs Bangalore fixture, from the point of view as a batsman. The legendary South African has affected eight stumpings as opposed to Wriddhiman Saha’s three, despite the latter being in this position on a full-time basis.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Manjunath Kiran
