SRH vs RCB IPL Match Prediction: Who will win today's Hyderabad vs Bangalore IPL 2022 match?

Two teams with top-order concerns will face off in Match 54 of the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL). The contest, to be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, May 8, will have severe implications in the race for the playoffs.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), separated by two points in the IPL 2022 points table, have struggled to score fluently in the powerplay. But they're still well in the hunt for the knockout stages with 10 and 12 points, respectively, even if they come into the game on the back of contrasting results.

After notching up five wins on the trot while chasing, things have unraveled for the Orange Army, who are winless in their last three. Their two most recent losses came while chasing big targets as the middle order was left with too much to do. RCB, on the other hand, are fresh off a morale-boosting win over the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), a win that snapped a three-match skid.

A horrible one-sided contest unfolded when the two teams met earlier this season as RCB folded for 68 before SRH scaled down the target within eight overs. However, Bangalore's main tormentors on the day, Marco Jansen and T Natarajan, have since lost their place in the Hyderabad playing XI due to form and injury respectively.

Can RCB put their SRH demons to bed and come up with a spirited performance? Or will Kane Williamson and Co. use their psychological advantage to get back to winning ways?

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IPL 2022 Match Prediction: SRH vs RCB

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has consistently produced economical spells this year

Can SRH produce a similar powerplay bowling display, assuming Jansen and Natarajan don't replace Sean Abbott and Kartik Tyagi in the playing XI? RCB have a new opening combination in Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli, and the duo showed clear intent against CSK. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been SRH's standout bowler over the last two games, and unless he can produce some magic with the new ball, Bangalore might have more breathing room this time around.

Washington Sundar's recurring injuries have thrown a real spanner in SRH's works in IPL 2022. In the absence of their premier spinner, the Orange Army have been without a powerplay enforcer and lower-order hitter. The all-rounder would've been invaluable against his former side, and Williamson will have to make do with other inferior options if Sundar doesn't make the grade.

RCB's bowling attack, on the other hand, is shaping up quite nicely. Although he's been expensive, Wanindu Hasaranga has regularly picked up wickets. Harshal Patel is finding his groove after a slightly underwhelming start, while Josh Hazlewood has bowled the difficult overs with aplomb. The finger-spinners are coming into their own as well, with pitches in IPL 2022 starting to allow grip and turn.

So despite their comprehensive win in the first IPL 2022 meeting, SRH could start as the underdogs. If RCB can solve their powerplay batting woes and set up a solid platform for Glenn Maxwell to tee off, Du Plessis and Co. could rack up another two points against a depleted side.

Prediction: RCB to win Match 54 of IPL 2022