IPL 2020, SRH vs RCB: Pitch report, stats and more
The third game of the 2020 IPL will be played between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Notably, the match will take place at the Dubai International Stadium, which hosted the Delhi Capitals-Kings XI Punjab thriller on Sunday. While SRH will have the services of skipper David Warner, RCB will begin their quest for a maiden IPL title. Here is the pitch report.
In Dubai, the bowlers have achieved considerable success over the years. As seen in the Sunday night thriller between DC and KXIP, both seamers and spinners were duly assisted. However, the sluggish track made life difficult for the batsmen. In the upcoming game, there are minimal chances of rain-interruption, while the temperature will hover near 37 degrees Celsius along with a high humidity level.
In 2014, the IPL was shifted to the UAE as it clashed with the General Elections. A total of 20 matches were held in the nation, with Dubai International Stadium hosting seven games. This time, the stadium will host 24 of 56 league matches.
In that season, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings had a 100% win record at the stadium. The two teams won two matches apiece. Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab also won a game each here. Interestingly, SRH registered two 150+ scores at this venue, in 2014. On the other hand, RCB restricted MI to 115 in a game here.
The Dubai International Stadium has hosted a total number of 62 T20 Internationals in the last ten years. Notably, 34 of them have been won by the teams batting first. The top-two wicket-takers at this venue are Pakistan's Sohail Tanvir (22) and Saeed Ajmal (19). Afghanistan's Mohammad Shahzad has scored the most T20I runs here (382).
The DC-KXIP game ended in a tie, followed by a rather one-sided Super Over. However, there was little to differentiate between the two sides eventually. The likes of Marcus Stoinis and Mayank Agarwal showed that the wicket here is lucrative for batsmen, once they settle down. Meanwhile, the fast bowlers took 10 wickets in the match as compared to four by spinners.
Just like the previous game, the impending encounter is also expected to be a cracker. After all, the two heavyweights, who met in 2016 final, will lock horns yet again. All eyes will be on the leg-spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Rashid Khan. Considering the track in Dubai, it remains to be seen if RCB play pace spearhead Dale Steyn first up.
