IPL 2016 Final, RCB vs SRH Playing 11: Probable XI for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad

The IPL 2016 final are scheduled for today and will go ahead weather permitting. The final are to be played between the Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Sunrisers Hyderabad led by their Australian captain David Warner. Both teams will be looking to win their maiden IPL titles in a highly anticipated match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. RCB are arguably the tournament’s premier batting unit led by the in-form Virat Kohli and the swashbuckling AB de Villiers.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore will have an advantage over the Sunriders Hyderabad given the fact that they have previously appeared in two finals, in 2009 and 2011, finishing runners-up on both occasions. Apart from the previously gained experience in the final, RCB will also be playing at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore, which is their home ground as well. Thus, they are bound to receive a lot of support which should boost the players morale.

The Bangalore-based franchise of the IPL has reached the final on the back of a brilliant run, having won all of their previous five matches. They will be looking to take this momentum forward and win the IPL for the first time.

Here is our prediction on how the Royal Challengers may line up against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final:

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Batting

The Royal Challengers Bangalore have been the best batting unit by far in the tournament this season. Led by Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, the batting has compensated for the slight lack of quality in the bowling department given the absence of strike bowler Mitchell Starc. Virat Kohli has been in the form of his life, plundering 919 runs from just 15 games, including six fifties and four centuries, setting a record for the highest runs scored in the IPL.

AB de Villiers meanwhile is the third highest run-getter in the league, having scored 682 runs with one century and six half-centuries.

RCB come into this game having chased down 159 against the Gujarat Lions after being down five wickets with just 29 runs on the board. AB de Villiers and Iqbal Abdulla forged a match-winning partnership to steer the RCB to victory in that game. Wicket-keeper batsman KL Rahul and big-hitter Chris Gayle have also been in good form of late and will be dangerous for the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

All-rounders

The RCB boast two major all-rounders in the squad in the form of Stuart Binny and Shane Watson. With the dearth of strike bowlers in the bowling unit, the two have been asked to take on the mantle of bowling spearheads. Stuart Binny has opened the bowling of late for the RCB and Shane Watson has also chipped in with wickets at the death.

While the all-rounders have satisfactorily contributed with the ball, their batting performances leave a lot to be desired. Their batting contributions have not been highlighted much due to the success of the RCB top order.

Bowling

RCB’s turnaround is as much a credit to their rejuvenated bowling as it is to their all-star batting lineup. The arrival of English pacer Chris Jordan has been a major boost for the team as they are now better able to contain opposing teams in the death overs. Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has been impressive, picking up 20 wickets from 12 games this season. Shane Watson too has impressed, taking 20 wickets from the 15 games he has played in the IPL this year. Indian pacer Sreenath Aravind has had a decent IPL, picking up 9 wickets in 8 matches this season.

Probable Playing XI

Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Lokesh Rahul (wk), Shane Watson, Sachin Baby, Stuart Binny, Chris Jordan, Sreenath Aravind, Yuzvendra Chahal, Varun Aaron.

David Warner will lead the SRH in their first ever IPL final

Here is the likely line-up for the Sunrisers Hyderabad

Batting

The Sunrisers Hyderabad too have a strong and experienced batting lineup.Their skipper , David Warner has been in magnificent form throughout the season and is only second to Virat Kohli in the standings for the highest run-scoring batsman, scoring 779 runs from 16 games. He also scored 93 runs to consign the Gujarat Lions to a four wicket defeat in the second qualifier to lead SRH into the final. Apart from Warner, the Sunrisers batting also consists of big hitters like Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, Moises Henriques and Ben Cutting, forming a formidable batting unit.

All-rounders

The Sunrisers Hyderabad all-rounders have not been at their best this season. Moises Henriques has been the pick of the bunch, scoring 178 runs and taking 12 wickets in the process. Yuvraj Singh, is a handy left arm bowler but his abilities have not been required due to the astounding success of the Sunrisers’ bowling unit.

Bowling

The Sunrisers Hyderabad have the best bowling lineup in the IPL. Seam bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar has struck form and is the purple cap holder with 23 wickets from 16 games. Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman has been a revelation this year, keeping out the likes of Trent Boult from the side. Rahman has been very effective, especially in the death overs. He should be fit for this game after missing the previous match due to a hamstring injury. Barinder Sran, who came into the side following Ashish Nehra’s knee injury, has slotted in well and not let the veteran’s absence affect the team.

Probable Playing XI

David Warner (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Moises Henriques, Yuvraj Singh, Deepak Hooda, Ben Cutting, Naman Ojha (wk), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Barinder Sran, Mustafizur Rahman, Bipul Sharma.