The in-form Sunrisers Hyderabad will lock horns with the struggling Rajasthan Royals at the Dubai International Stadium, Which will mark the 26th match of the Indian Premier League 2020. Sunrisers Hyderabad after their shaky start this season, the team has bounced back well and did a wonderful job in finding the right team combination.
Sunrisers Hyderabad will come into the match on the back of a stunning win against the KXIP. With their key players David Warner and Jonny Bairstow getting hold of the proceedings in the last few matches the team looks brawny now. The match saw SRH score a total of 201. Which in the Dubai pitch looked like a winning total. With the kind of bowling line-up the Sunrisers possess, the team were not going to lose from there and eventually ended up on the winning side by 69 runs.
The Steven Smith led team after a flourishing start to their campaign in which they won their first two matches are now winless in their last four games. The match against Delhi Capitals looked like the stage where Steven Smith and Co. could bounce back as the match was played in Sharjah- where they won their first two games. RR after winning the toss chose to chase. The DC with the help of Marcus Stoinis and Shimron Hetmyer put up a score of 184. Given the nature of the Sharjah pitch the score seemed well in the range of RR. Though, the depleting form of the RR batsmen meant they once again ended up on the losing side by 46 runs.
Can they 2016 champions continue their winning form? Or will Ben Stokes change the fortunes of the Royals team?
Head to Head
Matches Played- 11, SRH- 6, RR- 5, N/R- 0
Team News
Sunrisers after the shaky start to their campaign seem to have found their winning combination and are likely to feature same the Xl that handed them a comfortable victory over the KXIP.
Royals would be excited on the return of their star all-rounder Ben Stokes. The 30-year old was not able to join the RR camp owing to personal reasons. But the all-rounder arrived in the UAE last week but could not play the last few matches due to the quarantine procedure.
Pitch and conditions
The pitch in Dubai has been friendly to the batsmen and the same is expected for this clash. The last match saw SRH score 200 and once again any score above 180 by the team batting first will be tough for the chasing team.
With the match scheduled to take in the afternoon the players will have to worry about the due.
The conditions are one again ideal for the sport as clear skies are expected throughout the day. The temperature is expected to be hovering in the 32-34 degree range, while the humidity around the 60% mark. Given the match is scheduled to take place in the afternoon, the players will have to sweat it out once again.
Probable Playing Xl
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH): David Warner (c), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Priyam Garg, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, K Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan
Rajasthan Royals (RR): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler (wk), Steven Smith (c), Sanju Samson, Mahipal Lomror, Rahul Tewatia, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Aaron
Key Battles
David Warner (SRH) vs Jofra Archer (RR)
The Australian opener after a shaky start in the tournament has now struck his prime and looks in great shape to score more. The Left-hander is currently ranked fifth with 227 runs in the list of most runs scored this season so far. Being one of the most destructive batsmen in the sport, RR will know they need to get his wicket as early as possible to keep their hopes alive in the tournament.
The best bet for RR to do the job will be the English star all-rounder Jofra Archer. Yes, the 25-year old has been dominating the key battles section but he never fails to live up to the hopes. In what is a must situation for RR, Jofra Archer along with his fellow countrymen Ben Stokes would be looking to demolish the SRH line-up.
Can the spirited Jofra Archer dismiss the highest foreign run-scorer in the tournament? Or will the Australian keep piling up the runs?
Steven Smith (RR) vs T. Natarajan (SRH)
The Rajasthan captain seems to be struggling to get going in the last few matches. Moreover, his uncharacteristic batting style has turned a lot of heads. With RR now needing to win this match at any cost. The management would be hoping the best Test Batsman in the world can deliver the goods for them.
Though getting in the groove against the SRH would be a very difficult task for the Australian as the Sunrisers possess one of the best bowling line-up in the tournament. With Natarajan growing in confidence with every match, the pacer would be eyeing the big wicket of the former Australian captain.
Can the former Captain prove why he is one of the best batsman in the World? Or will the young pacer make his stay a short one?
Prediction
Sunrisers look extremely brawny on the sheets now. Especially the return of the New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has made their middle-order a reliable one. There are very few flaws that can be seen in the SRH line- up and with the team now very well balanced both in terms of experience. Rajasthan Royals would need something special to get past them.
Though Rajasthan Royals would now look a very different side with the arrival of the Man of the series of the 2019 World Cup- Ben Stokes. The all-rounder is someone who can win matches single-handedly and he does that more than the word often. Will his presence elevate the spirit of the team?
With Ben Stokes afresh from the quarantine and the fact he has not played competitive cricket could end up in favor for the SRH side.
Cricwizz predicts Sunrisers Hyderabad to win the match
