IPL 2016, final, Bangalore: Preview
Here we go! The final of the IPL 2016; to be played in Bangalore at the grand M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. There’s no question that Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore are the two best teams I this year’s IPL and have every right to be in the final.
RCB have been in an IPL final before – in 2009 and 2011. They lost both times and were deeply hurt by it. They would desperately hope to win their third final.
For Sunrisers Hyderabad, this is only their second year in the IPL and they are playing their first final. This is unchartered territory for them and they would want to make the most of this golden opportunity.
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Sunrisers Hyderabad have the best bowling attack in the IPL and Royal Challengers Bangalore are by far the best batting unit. Indeed, one might argue that with the likes of Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers and Shane Watson, RCB have the most powerful batting line-up ever assembled by a T20 side.
Virat Kohli is particular is in the form of his life. He is just 81 short of completing 1000 runs in a single IPL season. AB de Villiers has matched him at every step, and single handedly won the Qualifier 1 for RCB, after Kohli uncharacteristically was dismissed for a duck.
There is no question that RCB has the favorites to win and this means all the pressure is on them. Sunrisers can play freely as they have already performed much better than anyone’s expectations.
The Bangalore crowd will be the X factor in this final and they will be solidly behind the home team. They are expected to be loud and partisan. Sunrisers Hyderabad will have to play at their very best today to silence the home team supporters.
Sunrisers will depend on their bowling attack. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is IPL 2016’s leading wicket-taker, with 23 wickets in just 16 matches. However, it is Mustafizur Rahman who has been the best bowler in the IPL 2016, bowling with pace, control and aggression. His bowling in the death overs has been simply phenomenal.
Mustafizur missed out on the last match against Gujarat Lions because of a hamstring injury. While Trent Boult did play well in his place, there is no question that Sunrisers would want him back desperately.
RCB don’t have the best bowling attack in the IPL, but they do have a couple of talented young spinners in Yuzvendra Chahal and Iqbal Abdulla. Abdulla’s composure under pressure in the match against Gujarat lions where he was involved in a match winning partnership with de Villiers has come in for a lot of praise.
Sunrisers would depend on Captain David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh and Moises Henriques to set up a good score for them. Fact is, anything is possible in this match. RCB are the favorites, but only just. Sunrisers are a fantastic outfit and there aren’t many who would bet against them.
The Teams
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Virat Kohli (capt), 3 AB de Villiers, 4 KL Rahul (wk), 5 Shane Watson, 6 Stuart Binny, 7 Sachin Baby, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 Iqbal Abdulla, 10 S Aravind, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal
Sunrisers Hyderabad : 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Moises Henriques, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Deepak Hooda, 6 Ben Cutting, 7 Naman Ojha (wk) 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Bipul Sharma, 10 Barinder Sran 11 Mustafizur Rahman/Trent Boult
Match Conditions
The pitch at the Chinnaswamy Stadium has always supported good batting and we expect to see them same tonight as well. Batsmen will have a great time in the middle, but don’t count the bowlers out. Good bowling will be rewarded, there is just enough pace and bounce on the track. The weather is a major concern. It has been raining heavily in Bangalore for the past one week, and there is a strong possibility of the final being a rain affected one.
Watch Sunrisers Hyderabad play Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Final of the IPL 2016 tonight at 8:00 pm LIVE on Sony Six!
Bet on the 2016 IPL Final here:
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