Last Updated on 6 years by Charbel Coorey
Sunrisers Hyderabad v Kings XI Punjab take two. Will the bowlers have a little more joy this time?
Just like you can never rule out CSK in this tournament, the same applies to Sunrisers Hyderabad, but opposite reasons. Surely, not many would have expected them to defend 118 v MI, but they did, and they’ve reminded us all of how handy their bowling attack is. They have also reminded us they can’t be taken lightly as a possible contender for this year’s title. Yes, their batting needs to improve, but if their bowling is on song, they are hard to beat.
For Kings XI Punjab, their games have often been in sharp contrast to SRH, winning most games thanks to their batting prowess. However, like SRH, they too defended a relatively low total against DD, which was a result that led to two-time IPL winning skipper Gautam Gambhir to step down as captain. A result like that just increases the belief among the KXIP faithful, where they can still come away with the win when the batting doesn’t quite click.
An interesting game awaits between two teams who could very well face off at the business end of the tournament.
Key to a Sunrisers Hyderabad win
KXIP handed SRH their first loss of the season exactly a week ago, and it came about from taking apart SRH’s much-heralded attack. Many eyes will be on Rashid Khan, who stormed into form again
after going for 104 in the combined two games before SRH’s amazing win at the Wankhede. This included four overs for 55 against KXIP, where Chris Gayle was particularly harsh on him. Can he grab some revenge?
How the bowling attack performs will be key. They showed at the Wankhede that even without Bhuvneshwar Kumar, they can deliver the goods, but KXIP is a different beast at the moment. With Kumar in doubt again, another collaborative bowling effort like the one we saw at the Wankhede will be key, where all six bowlers took at least one wicket.
Key to a Kings XI Punjab win
Take down SRH’s attack.
If KXIP win the toss, you could very well see Ashwin opting to bat first again against SRH. SRH’s batting is rightly considered their weaker point, so if KXIP can get in the runs, they’ll be in a good position. Even if Chris Gayle doesn’t recover in time for this one, the likes of KL Rahul, Aaron Finch, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair and David Miller are all very dangerous players.
I’m also really loving the balance of KXIP’s side. They would be really confident of restricting SRH’s batsmen after their amazing effort defending 143 in Delhi. One massive question though is Yuvraj, who continues to struggle. Does he make way in this game?
Predicted teams
Expect SRH to go in with the same team they had at the Wankhede, unless Bhuvneshwar Kumar is considered fit. Eyes will be on Shikhar Dhawan who needs to get back in the runs after injury, and so too Manish Pandey who continues to promise plenty but deliver little. Alex Hales will continue to wait his turn.
Sunrisers Hyderabad XI: 1. Shikhar Dhawan, 2. Kane Williamson (c), 3. Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 4. Manish Pandey, 5. Yusuf Pathan, 6. Deepak Hooda, 7. Mohammad Nabi, 8. Rashid Khan, 9. Sandeep Sharma, 10. Siddarth Kaul, 11. Basil Thampi
I think KXIP will drop Yuvraj Singh for perhaps Manoj Tiwary. Also, if Chris Gayle is fit, expect Aaron Finch, who hasn’t totally fired yet, to possibly make way. Looking forward to seeing how the bowling attack goes in this game, with the likes of Andrew Tye and Mujeeb ur Rahman doing really well at the moment.
Kings XI Punjab XI: 1. Chris Gayle, 2. KL Rahul (wk), 3. Mayank Agarwal, 4. Karun Nair, 5. David Miller, 6. Manoj Tiwary, 7. Ravi Ashwin (c), 8. Andrew Tye, 9. Barinder Sran, 10. Ankit Rajpoot, 11. Mujeeb ur Rahman
Stats and Facts:
- Head-to-Head: Matches: 11, SRH 8, KXIP 3. In the previous meeting in IPL 2018, KXIP scored 193 and won resoundingly.
- KXIP score at 10.30 in the powerplay overs in IPL 2018. No other team has a run rate of 10. However, SRH have the best economy rate in the powerplay (6.91), so an interesting battle awaits.
- Leave Sandeep Sharma (if picked) for Chris Gayle? He has dismissed Gayle four times in all T20s, conceding just 55 runs in 47 balls.
- Yuvraj has scored 50 runs at an average of 12.50, with a SR of just 89.29 in IPL 2018.
- If KXIP win, it’ll be their fifth straight win.
- The previous meeting between these two sides a week ago was the only time a captain has won the toss and batted in IPL 2018.
Prediction:
This promises to be a great game, but if KXIP’s batting clicks, I can see no way back for SRH. With the firepower available to them, I will go with KXIP for the win.
