SRH vs RR Prediction: Who will win today's IPL 2021 match?

The two teams at the very bottom of the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) points table, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), face off in Dubai on September 27.

While SRH are effectively out of the playoff race and will be mathematically eliminated if they lose to RR, Sanju Samson's men desperately need a win to compete with the likes of the Punjab Kings and the Mumbai Indians. RR have four wins from nine games and need a boost to their net run rate as well.

RR have had a mixed start to the second phase. While they - read Kartik Tyagi and Mustafizur Rahman - produced something magical to beat the Punjab Kings by two runs in their opening game of the UAE leg, the Delhi Capitals hammered them by 33 runs on a slow deck two days ago.

Meanwhile, SRH's woes have refused to end. After being comprehensively beaten by the Delhi Capitals, the Orange Army went down to the Punjab Kings by five runs despite an incredible all-round effort from Jason Holder.

The first fixture between the two sides saw RR hammer SRH by 55 runs, with Jos Buttler smashing a marvelous hundred. Sanju Samson chipped in with 48, while Mustafizur Rahman and Chris Morris scalped three wickets each.

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IPL 2021: Worries aplenty for RR and SRH as moment of truth arrives

Sanju Samson is shouldering the bulk of responsibility without Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes

No IPL 2021 side is more dependent on a single player than the Rajasthan Royals are with Sanju Samson. The skipper has been without Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, but he also lost Chris Morris and Evin Lewis to niggles in the previous game.

Liam Livingstone, promoted to open the batting, couldn't last more than one over. Mahipal Lomror and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who starred in the first game of the UAE leg, failed to deliver. David Miller, playing his first game of the second phase, played a horror shot when RR were in all sorts of trouble. Riyan Parag and Rahul Tewatia didn't come good as well, leaving Samson to wage a lone battle that eventually salvaged the net run rate a touch.

RR's bowling department, which featured a new name in Tabraiz Shamsi, bowled well to restrict the power-packed Delhi Capitals batting lineup to a par score. As the pitches in the UAE get slower, bowlers like Mustafizur Rahman and Chetan Sakariya will have more of an impact.

What SRH would give to have the same problems as RR! The 2016 IPL champions are in such a deep pit that they can't even see the sunlight above them, let alone think of getting out.

David Warner has been in nightmare form this season by his standards, and Kane Williamson has looked out of sorts in the UAE so far. The middle order consisting of players like Manish Pandey and Kedar Jadhav is probably the least capable lineup in IPL 2021, and even those who have shown promise - such as Abdul Samad and Wriddhiman Saha - haven't been consistent.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has found wickets impossible to come by in IPL 2021, while Rashid Khan has had no support from any of his bowling teammates. Jason Holder was easily SRH's best performer in the previous game as he recorded the highest score and the best bowling figures, but whether he can come up with a similar display again remains to be seen.

SRH need a miracle to record a win in IPL 2021, even against a team that has fared only slightly better in RR. Sanju Samson's side should be able to keep their playoff dreams alive with a win.

Prediction: RR to win Match 40 of IPL 2021