Sunrisers Hyderabad have started their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 campaign on a strong note. They only lost their opening fixture to Kolkata Knight Riders after some lusty hitting by Andre Russell and Shubman Gill in the final three overs of their game but came back strongly to chase down Rajasthan Royals’ imposing 199-run target to win by 5 wickets.

Having made the final last year, Sunrisers again look a good bet for reaching the summit clash and possibly go one better.

Royal Challengers Bangalore, on the other hand, have endured a torrid time this term. They were dismissed for a mere 70 runs in their opening fixture against Chennai Super Kings before losing by a 6-run margin against Mumbai Indians.

Here’s a look at the top Sunrisers Hyderabad’s predicted XI against Royal Challengers Bangalore as they go head-to-head on Sunday:

David Warner

Warner, who has returned to the IPL after missing out last year, has been playing like he has never been away. The Australian opener has two fifties in as many games and will look to continue in the same vein against RCB.

Jonny Bairstow

Bairstow has been in good nick, contributing 39 and 45 runs respectively in his two innings so far. The England international has helped provide a strong base for SRH with consecutive century stands for the first wicket with Warner.

Kane Wiliamson

Williamson missed the first game due to late arrival for the tournament but looked good for his 14 runs in the second game against the Royals. The SRH skipper will look to score a big one against the struggling RCB.

Vijay Shankar

Shankar, who is fast establishing himself into the limited-overs Indian set up with some smart batting, has continued his form in the IPL as well. He followed up a 24-ball 40 against KKR with a crucial 15-ball 35 against RR. He can be handy with the ball as well.

Manish Pandey

Pandey fell cheaply against RR as they chased a challenging total. SRH will hope he finds his groove soon.

Yusuf Pathan

Pathan was a failure against KKR. The stage was set for him to smash some lusty blows and take the SRH total past 200 but he fell for a 4-ball 1. However, he helped guide the Hyderabad outfit over the line against RR.

Rashid Khan

Khan is one of the best players in T20 cricket. His economy rate from the first two games read an astonishing 6.5 and 6 respectively. Add to that his exploits with the bat as he showed with a gorgeous match-winning six against RR and you have a perfect T20 player.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Two-time Purple Cap winner Bhuvneshwar has struggled badly this season. He has been carted around for plenty of runs in the first two games and will be eager to improve with the World Cup just about a couple of months away.

Sandeep Sharma

Sharma, too, has been very expensive in the first two outings this term. He will need to show drastic improvement in his performance as RCB have some of the best batsmen in the world in their ranks.

Sidhharth Kaul

SRH have conceded in excess of 180 runs in both of their games so far. It is a clear indication that their bowlers have not been doing their jobs all too well. Kaul has not been up to the mark either and has conceded runs at an over 8.00 economy rate.

Shahbaz Nadeem

Nadeem was brought in the last match after missing out against KKR, but he failed to justify his selection, conceding 36 runs from his 3 overs. He needs to come up with the goods against RCB.

First Published: Mar 31, 2019 12:36 IST