IPL 2017 Match 1 SRH vs RCB: Team news and likely XIs

Can a depleted Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) avenge their heartbreaking loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2016 final on Wednesday in the opening match of the 10th edition of IPL? This year’s IPL has been plagued with injuries and RCB is among the worst-hit side.

 

It will be interesting to see how RCB performs without the likes of their super skipper Virat Kohli and power-hitter AB de Villiers. Sarfaraz Khan will also not feature as he injured himself during the training session.

 

Click here for the complete schedule of IPL 2017.

 

Sunrisers Hyderabad on the other hand, have no injury concerns. The only player who they are going to miss tonight is Mustafizur Rahman, who was an integral part of their IPL-winning campaign last year. Chris Jordan can fill up his shoes for now.

 

Click here for the Preview of SRH vs RCB Match 1.

 

Two Australian cricketers Shane Watson and David Warner will square off as the captains of their respective side and it is likely going to be a cracker of a battle at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad between SRH and RCB.

 

It will also be interesting to see how Watson manages his batting order and his bowling options. He himself shone with the ball in IPL 2016 and he will look to emulate the same in this edition of the league as well.

 

Click here for the schedule of SRH vs RCB.

 

Meanwhile, Warner has a plethora of bowling options in his rank and he has very little to worry about. Also, Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan is likely to make his IPL debut tonight against RCB as well. Therefore, a Warner storm looms in Hyderabad, which the RCB camp will be wary about.

 

Likely XIs:

 

Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Moises Henriques, Yuvraj Singh, Deepak Hooda, Naman Ojha (wk), Chris Jordan, Bipul Sharma, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashish Nehra.

 

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Chris Gayle, Mandeep Singh, Travis Head, Shane Watson (C), Kedar Jadhav (wk), Sachin Baby, Stuart Binny, Pawan Negi, Yuzvendra Chahal, Tymal Mills, Harshal Patel.