With eight points from 11 games, RR are placed second from bottom in the eight-team table and a loss on Saturday will end their slim chances of qualifying for the knockout stage.
After being comprehensively thrashed by 79 runs in the opening ODI of the three-match series, India, for the first time, are staring at the ignominy of series defeat against the proverbial minnows of world cricket.
From Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma sharing the limelight with their raw talent, to SRH's Travis Head smashing some brutal boundaries to notch up big runs and totals for his franchise, this season has had some real power hitters on show.
On a roll after three consecutive wins, a resurgent Sunrisers Hyderabad will start as overwhelming favourites against struggling Rising Pune Supergiants in an Indian Premier League match, in Hyderabad, on Tuesday.
Captain Kane Williamson and Neil Broom both flirted with centuries as New Zealand cruised to an eight-wicket victory over Bangladesh in their third one-day international to complete a 3-0 series sweep at Saxton Oval in Nelson on Saturday.
Virat Kohli's inspirational leadership for Royal Challengers Bangalore will be up against the brute force with which David Warner has steered Sunrisers Hyderabad when the two teams, eyeing their maiden IPL title, square off in a high-intensity summit clash in Bengaluru on Sunday. RCB, however, will have a slight advantage over Sunrisers as they have the experience of playing in an IPL final twice in the past -- 2009 and 2011, but on both occasions, they had finished runners-up. Sunrisers' best finish was a play-off berth which they managed in their debut season in 2013.
The Punjab bowlers led by Kagiso Rabada have fared well. But the likes of Vaibhav Arora, Arshdeep Singh along with Rahul Chahar, who has nine wickets, would need to be on the money.
Australia all-rounder James Faulkner believes Sunrisers Hyderabad have the strongest bowling attack in the ongoing 11th edition of the Indian Premier League with the likes of in-form pacer Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and leg spinner Rashid Khan in their rank.
Trying to pick up pieces after a demoralising defeat, India's decorated top-order will be desperate to change the narrative and give a better account of itself in the do-or-die second ODI against Bangladesh.
Back-to-back losses denting their confidence, defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad would look to put their campaign back on track when they take on Kings XI Punjab in their IPL match, in Hyderabad, on Sunday.
India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni blamed poor batting for the debacle in the series.
Bangladesh's T20 skipper Mahmudullah Riyad said Shakib Al Hasan's absence from the India tour will act more as a motivation than handicap.
India sailed into the ICC World Cup semi-finals and eliminated opponents Bangladesh after Rohit Sharma's century and Jasprit Bumrah's four-wicket haul secured a 28-run victory over their neighbours on Tuesday.
Chris Morris, the most expensive buy in IPL history, showed why all the franchises were so desperate for his services with a match-turning performance with the bat to lift Rajasthan Royals to victory over Delhi Capitals.
Veteran batsman Yuvraj Singh has recovered from an ankle injury and is likely to play his first IPL match of the season when Sunrisers Hyderabad take on Gujarat Lions in Hyderabad, on Friday.
umbai Indians overcame some tense moments to pull off a last-ball win over Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Tuesday.
Bangladesh batsman Mahmudullah said it was his 'senseless mistake' that led to the team's defeat in the heart-stopping game.
David Warner's power-packed performance complemented by excellent death bowling from Bhuvneshwar Kumar enabled Sunrisers Hyderabad record an emphatic 10-wicket victory over Gujarat Lions, in a lopsided Indian Premier League encounter, in Rajkot, on Thursday.
Unbeaten in all the three games they have played so far in the tournament, Gujarat Lions would look to continue with their impressive winning run when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in an IPL match in Rajkot on Thursday. The Lions have been in red-hot form in their debut season with convincing wins in all the three games and they would seek to maintain a clean slate tomorrow at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium. The home side will also be bolstered by the return of all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja who did not play in the Lion's seven-wicket thrashing of defending champions Mumbai Indians in Mumbai due to his wedding.
Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner feels the key to winning matches in Twenty20 cricket, especially in the Indian Premier League, is one good partnership at the top.
Their arrival itself was mired in drama and a mercurial Pakistan would look to bring the focus back on their cricket when they take on an enigmatic Bangladesh.
Images from the IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians, in Delhi, on Thursday.
While Kedar injured his left shoulder during the IPL, Shankar was hit in the nets by a Khaleel Ahmed short ball.
Mumbai Indians will look to continue in similar vein when they lock horns with Rajasthan Royals in
For India, who are considered as title contenders, a good showing in the Asia Cup will give them the much-needed boost going into the World T20.
Seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who played a vital role in Sunrisers Hyderabad's Indian Premier League triumphant campaign last year, said he is determined to contribute in the upcoming 10th edition of the IPL especially in the death overs.
Punjab are seventh on the points table with 12 points. The Capitals also have a dozen points and are fifth
The road to the knockout stage for Sarfaraz Ahmed and his men is just an improbable mathematical calculation and that too provided Pakistan win the toss and bat first.
Rahul and Pant, both match-winners in their own rights even with the bat, will like to seize the initiative in these early rounds.
IMAGES from the IPL 2022 game between Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals, in Pune, on Saturday
Jos Buttler announced his return to form with belligerent maiden T20 hundred as Rajasthan Royals trounced SunRisers Hyderabad by 55 runs.
Skipper David Warner produced a majestic 93 as he single-handedly led Sunrisers Hyderabad into the IPL final after securing a four-wicket win over Gujarat Lions in the Qualifier 2 at the Ferozshah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi. Chasing a tricky 163, Sunrisers overhauled the target with four balls to spare as Warner anchored the chase with his responsible 58-ball knock, embellished with 11 four and three sixes.
Bangladesh thrashed South Africa by seven wickets in the second one-day international on Sunday to tie the three-match series at 1-1 after an inspired bowling performance saw the Proteas bundled out for 162, their lowest total against the hosts.
New Zealand and Bangladesh enter their final group match of the ICC Champions Trophy, in Cardiff, on Friday, with the knowledge that even a win may not be enough to see either of them into the semi-finals.
The 2016 Indian Premier League season brings with it an opportunity for both the old and new.
India will look for another colossal victory and inch closer to the semi-finals when they square off against an embattled Bangladesh.
Indian Premier League 2016 gave the cricket lovers many memorable moments to cherish for long. Take a look.
Former captain Sunil Gavaskar has picked young leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal as the best young talent from the just-concluded IPL-9, terming the Royal Challengers Bangalore player the best in terms of talent and temperament. 25-year-old Chahal took 21 wickets from 13 matches to finish IPL-9 as second highest wicket taker behind pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar's 23 from 17 games. "I am considering those who have temperament and not just talent. Yuzvendra Chahal, Rishabh Pant and Krunal Pandya are the top three. I will pick Chahal at the top as he has got the right temperament," Gavaskar said. "He (Chahal) is not afraid of tossing up the ball and he kept on doing that. When there is some turn on the pitch, there have to be big edges from the batsmen's bat. Chahal also has a big heart and he is not afraid of a big hit. On many occasions, he came back after being hit for sixes to claim wickets," he told NDTV.
A place in the final at stake, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh would expect their batsmen to fire as they lock horns in a virtual semi-final of the Nidahas Twenty20 tri-series, in Colombo, on Friday.
Table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad will look to quickly bounce back from the disappointing loss against Delhi Daredevils and seal their place in the play-off when they take on a resurgent Kings XI Punjab in an IPL clash in Mohali on Sunday. Knowing that there is scramble among top teams for the playoff berth and holding on to top position is not an easy task, SRH will have to put the loss against Delhi behind and look to put up an all-round performance on Sunday. What has made this game at the I S Bindra PCA stadium even more important for Hyderabad is the fact that Punjab, which has struggled through the tournament, has suddenly started turning over a leaf under their new captain Murali Vijay, whose appointment was made mid-way. The Punjab outfit, which is lying at the seventh place with four wins from 11 outings, pulled off a comprehensive seven-wicket victory against Mumbai Indians at Visakhapatnam on Friday night.
