IPL 2024, SRH vs RCB Strategic Corner - How Can RCB Stop The SRH Power House?

Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, and Heinrich Klaasen have been in brilliant form in IPL 2024 [AP Photos]

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru are due to face the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 41st match of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024). This match will be played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on April 21st at 7:30 PM IST. 

RCB has lost six of its seven games and is virtually out of the tournament. However, mathematically, qualification to the playoffs is still possible for them. But the fight for the team will be more about their prestige now. At this juncture, RCB will be facing that team that has decimated the bowling attacks that have come up against them in the tournament. In the previous meeting, SRH posted the highest-ever total in IPL of 287. The Royal Challengers need to find a way to stop the power-packed batting of SRH to have a chance of winning this game. 

Let us try to analyse how RCB can stop the destructive batting lineup of SRH.

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Where does the main strength of RCB lie?

The SRH batting has looked unstoppable in the tournament. They have decimated bowling line-ups of their own free will and have already breached the 250 mark three times. The foundation of these massive totals is being laid by the top three batters in the batting line-up. 

Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, and Heinrich Klaasen have been the backbone of SRH's success in the tournament. They have scored a staggering 849 runs, which accounts for 54.98% of the total runs scored by SRH. Their runs have come at a remarkable strike rate of 210.14, underscoring their pivotal role in the team's performance. 

Even more interesting is the fact that in the two matches, SRH lost in the tournament, only one half-century was recorded by these three batters. This gives us the idea that the middle order draws strength from the starts provided by the three batters. RCB must expose the middle order quickly and put them under pressure. But how will they do this?

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Plan against Sharma, Head and Klaasen

Weapon against Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head

The two openers have enjoyed pace with the new ball at the beginning of the innings. Sharma and Head are scoring more than 80 runs in the first six overs and are nearly batting the opposition out. But none of the teams have tried to operate with their lead spinners against these two batters. If you look at the RCB bowling attack, you will find a quality spinner in Karn Sharma, a right-arm leg-break bowler. Let us glimpse at the record of two batters against Leg spinners (in T20s).

The numbers show that Travis Head is weak against the leg-spinners. His scoring rate and average both drop against them. So, Karn Sharma is an excellent option against him. 

On the other hand, Abhishek Sharma likes to attack the leg spinners but sometimes gives away his wicket. Thus, for RCB, opening the bowling with Karn Sharma is a brilliant option. If Head and Sharma bat through the powerplay, RCB bowlers will automatically be thrashed to all parts of the ground. But with Karn Sharma starting, even if he gets hit, there will be chances of him picking both the batters as the match-up will be in his favour. So, this is a strategy that RCB must try. 

Stopping Heinrich Klaasen

If RCB keeps Lockie Ferguson in their team for this game, it will be best to keep him away from the two openers, as they will enjoy the pace of the Kiwi speedster. However, if RCB is somehow able to dismiss the two batters early, Lockie Ferguson will be a great option against Heinrich Klaasen. 

While Heinrich Klaasen is excellent against spin, his strike rate is lower against the pacers. In the 11 deliveries against Lockie, Klaasen scored 19 runs and was dismissed once. So, there is a chance that Ferguson against Klaasen might work, atleast RCB can give it a try.