Abu Dhabi: David Warner-led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) won the toss and chose to bowl first against Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Eliminator round at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium here on Friday.
In-form batsman and wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha will miss out on the game for SRH whereas RCB have come with a host of changes. Chris Morris will not feature due to injury while Joshua Phillipe too will warm the benches. Adam Zampa and Aaron Finch have made the cut and Navdeep Saini has replaced Shahbaz Ahmed.
Of the total 17 matches so far between the two teams in the IPL, SRH have managed nine wins while RCB have seven with a game being abandoned.
The biggest boundary on this ground is 76m, which will make it easier for the batsmen to go down the wicket and hit for the maximum. Although, there is also a decent grass cover on the pitch which should generate bounce and pace. Bowling should dominate proceedings and it will be up to the batsmen how they cope with it.
After winning the toss, Warner said, "We will bowl first. Dew could play an effect, the last couple of games say so. But the wicket will not change a lot. We are under no pressure, it already started a couple of games back. Unfortunately, Saha misses out with an injury, Goswami replaces him. The trophy means a lot for us, the owners and the fans back home."
On the other hand, Virat said, "It could go both ways, we would have bowled first. But runs on the board could prove crucial. The last game opened up completely, when you haven't qualified, the nerves will come. It's an exciting time, it's been a leasure to play here.The seniors will have to take up responsibility, let the youngsters play freely. Chris Morris misses out with a quad injury, Joshua Phillipe is out as well. Aaron Finch is back, so is Adam Zampa. Saini replaces Shahbaz Ahmed."
Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): David Warner(c), Shreevats Goswami(w), Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Priyam Garg, Jason Holder, Abdul Samad, Rashid Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Sandeep Sharma, T Natarajan.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (Playing XI): Aaron Finch, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli(c), AB de Villiers(w), Moeen Ali, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Navdeep Saini, Adam Zampa, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal.
