IPL 2021: Here's why SRH's Mohammad Nabi is not playing against RCB

Sunrisers Hyderabad would be looking to open their account in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 when they take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in the sixth match of the competition. The Hyderabad-based outfit opened their campaign in IPL 2021 with a 10-run loss at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders.

The SRH bowlers as well as most of their batsmen failed to put up a convincing performance against the two-time IPL winners. Their decision to bowl first could not be justified by their bowlers as KKR finished their innings on 187 for 6 thanks to fifties from Nitish Rana (80) and Rahul Tripathi (53) as well as a fine cameo from former captain Dinesh Karthik.

In reply, SRH finished their innings on 177 for 5. Jonny Bairstow and Manish Pandey scored fifties but it was not enough for the David Warner-led side to cross the finishing line. SRH’s chase got off to a disastrous start as their openers – David Warner and Wriddhiman Saha – departed with just 10 runs on the board. It was followed by a 92-run stand between Pandey and Bairstow but their efforts were not enough to ensure a win for their team. RCB, on the other hand, started their campaign with a two-wicket win over defending champions Mumbai Indians.

Mohammad Nabi unavailable for the match:

SRH are without Mohammad Nabi for the ongoing game against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai. The Afghanistan superstar is missing the clash because of a stiff neck. Nabi sustained the injury while batting in the previous game against KKR. In the 16th over of SRH’s innings, he was hit on his neck by a short delivery from fast bowler Prasidh Krishna.

The ball hit him on the right side of the neck which was exposed as he looked to hit a pull shot. He was immediately checked by the physios and managed to resume batting. But just two balls later, he was dismissed by Prasidh on the final ball of the over. Nabi departed after scoring 14 off 11 balls. Earlier in the game, he impressed with the ball by dismissing Nitish Rana and Eoin Morgan on successive deliveries.