IPL 2021: Sunrisers Hyderabad Leave Out Virat Kohli Slayer Sandeep Sharma

SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Wednesday left outpace bowler Sandeep Sharma from their playing eleven in the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) despite the fast bowler having a good record against RCB skipper, having dismissed him seven times in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Sandeep's previous expensive outing in IPL 2021 against Kolkata Knight Riders - against whom he conceded 35 runs in three overs without taking a wicket, may have prompted SRH to replace him with left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem who took 1/36 in his four overs on Wednesday night.

The right-arm pace bowler's absence, however, allowed the RCB skipper some respite as he made 33 off 29 balls to help his side get a solid platform. Kohli could begin well, making 19 off 14 balls in the power-play phase, which has been a vulnerable phase for him against Sandeep.

The right-arm Punjab pace bowler's seven dismissals of Kohli rank alongside Zaheer Khan's seven dismissals of MS Dhoni, as the joint highest by a bowler against a batsman in IPL history. Last season, Sandeep became the sixth Indian bowler to take 100 wickets in IPL history.