SRH vs RCB Match Prediction: Who will win today's IPL 2023 match?

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have hovered around the bottom half of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) for most of the last few weeks, but they will now have the chance to enter the top four.

RCB will travel to the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday, May 18, to take on the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). It is the last assignment of their long five-game road trip, and if they manage to end up on the winning side, they will secure the fourth spot in the standings ahead of their final league game.

The reason the Royal Challengers are in this position is their thumping win over the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their previous game, which picked up their net run rate and deposited it on the other side of zero. The Mumbai Indians' (MI) negative net run rate helps, too.

SRH, meanwhile, have amassed only eight points from 12 matches. They've made a slew of strategic and selection errors, with their campaign having struggled for momentum throughout. None of the batters have stepped up, and very few bowlers have managed to be consistent.

Hyderabad don't have much to play for and could be intent on trying out new combinations in their last two games of the league stage. The Orange Army will be boosted by the fact that the weight of expectations has been lifted off their shoulders, as well as the fact that they've won three of their last five meetings against RCB.

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IPL 2023, SRH vs RCB Match Prediction: Crucial clash beckons for Faf du Plessis and Co.

Mayank Markande has been slightly expensive in the last few games

Faf du Plessis has been RCB's standout batter this season, but he hasn't had much support apart from Glenn Maxwell and at times Virat Kohli. Du Plessis and Maxwell have struck the ball cleanly throughout the season and Kohli has piled on a few runs while eating up a few too many balls sometimes, with the others having underwhelmed.

Du Plessis and Kohli will be up against a red-hot Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who grabbed a five-fer in the previous game. Marco Jansen could be a threat in the powerplay as well. Without any threatening left-arm spinners and other pacers, though, RCB might fancy their chances of putting up a big total.

It's in the bowling department that Bangalore have been rather insipid in IPL 2023. Without Wanindu Hasaranga and Josh Hazlewood, who missed out in the last game, their wicket-taking threat has been diminished even further. The Hyderabad wicket has generally been high-scoring, and the RCB bowling could be just what SRH's under-fire batters need to get back amongst the runs.

We've already seen one eliminated team come up with a spirited display to upset a playoff contender's party in IPL 2023. SRH's spirit could be lifted by their newfound freedom, and RCB are known to crumble under pressure.

Bangalore are the favorites and should ideally come away with the two points, but an upset looks highly possible.

Prediction: RCB to win Match 65 of IPL 2023.