IPL 2021: "The boarding passes have been printed" - Aakash Chopra says the SRH players have mentally already gone home

Aakash Chopra believes tonight's IPL 2021 encounter between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) could be a one-sided affair. He reasoned the Hyderabad players might not be mentally up for the contest.

SRH have had a horrendous run in the current edition of the Indian Premier League. The 2016 IPL champions have won just two of their twelve encounters thus far and have long been out of the race for a IPL playoff berth.

While previewing the SRH-RCB encounter in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra highlighted that the Hyderabad players might be longing to go home. He elaborated:

"While one team is trying to finish in the top two, the other team is asking to be sent home and they don't want to play anymore. Hyderabad - the Visas have been made, the boarding passes have been printed, mentally they have all already gone home and are just there physically to complete the tournament."

The former India cricketer feels SRH will come up short again if Jason Roy and Kane Williamson don't fire with the bat. Chopra observed:

"I don't have too many expectations. If the top two, Roy and Williamson, get out again, this team is not going to do anything. The names are there down the order but all are kids."

The inexperienced middle order has been an area of concern for SRH. While the likes of Abdul Samad and Abhishek Sharma have given one-off performances, they have not played substantial knocks consistently.

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"Umran Malik vs Kohli" - Aakash Chopra on the battle to watch out for in the SRH-RCB clash

Umran Malik was impressive in SRH's last match against KKR [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra added that he is looking forward to the battle between Umran Malik and Virat Kohli during the SRH-RCB clash. He explained:

"I will want to see Umran Malik again, how he bowls if he is given the chance again. Umran Malik vs Kohli, that will be a fantastic battle to see. It will be enjoyable, the kid bowls at 150 kph."

While predicting that SRH will extend their losing streak, the former KKR player signed off by stating that he is also keen to see the performances of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rashid Khan. Chopra said:

"I will keep a close eye on Bhuvneshwar Kumar's form. Rashid Khan, you know he is my favorite player, I will want to see him. The Hyderabad team will lose, that is what I feel."

SRH will only be playing for pride in their last two encounters against RCB and the Mumbai Indians (MI). However, these two matches will be an acid test for Bhuvneshwar Kumar ahead of the T20 World Cup, considering that the swing bowler has looked out of sorts thus far.