Last Updated on 2 weeks by Charbel Coorey

SRH vs RR Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible 11 Pitch Report: IPL 2022 Match 5 | SRH vs RR Dream11 Prediction Today | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals Key Players | Pune Pitch Report

Two teams with plenty to prove will kickstart their respective campaigns with a clash that can set the tone for their season. Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals disappointed in IPL 2021, with both missing out on the playoffs.

Sunrisers were comfortably the most disappointing, finishing bottom of the table in a wretched season where they hit the self-destruct button. David Warner and Rashid Khan, two of the franchise’s greatest ever players, are no longer around, which provides the opportunity for others to make their mark. Those others include Nicholas Pooran, who is yet to find consistency in the IPL, as well as Aiden Markram, Abdul Samad and Umran Malik who all have the game to lead SRH to wins this season.

And they will have a good test right away. Rajasthan Royals had a strong auction, where they put together an experienced bowling attack to complement an exciting batting lineup. R Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal could be the best spin partnership in the league, while Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna, who had a wonderful ODI series vs West Indies last month, is an exciting pace partnership.

However, how well the Royals can bury the demons of recent years will be key. They have always been thereabouts when it comes to playoffs qualification, but they have not been able to raise their game that extra level to properly challenge for their first title since 2008. With a long batting lineup and experienced attack, here is their chance to make a mark.

Possible Playing 11

Kane Williamson will lead a new-look Hyderabad team that will likely have the inconsistent-but-talented Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram in the middle order.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: 1. Rahul Tripathi, 2. Abhishek Sharma, 3. Kane Williamson (c), 4. Nicholas Pooran (wk), 5. Aiden Markram, 6. Abdul Samad, 7. Washington Sundar, 8. Marco Jansen/Romario Shepherd, 9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10. T Natarajan, 11. Umran Malik

In a pre-match media conference, Royals captain Sanju Samson confirmed that Riyan Parag will bat in the middle order and will likely face a maximum of 10-20 deliveries. Details here.

It remains to be seen whether Yashasvi Jaiswal or Devdutt Padikkal opens with Jos Buttler. Also, there is an all-rounder spot up for grabs, with Jimmy Neesham or Nathan Coulter-Nile to make the XI.

Rajasthan Royals: 1. Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2. Jos Buttler, 3. Devdutt Padikkal, 4. Sanju Samson (c & wk), 5. Shimron Hetmyer, 6. Riyan Parag, 7. James Neesham/Nathan Coulter-Nile, 8. R Ashwin, 9. Yuzvendra Chahal, 10. Trent Boult, 11. Prasidh Krishna

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

Sunrisers Hyderabad:

• Kane Williamson will be key for Hyderabad. The skipper has a solid record against RR, with 219 runs in seven innings at an average of 54.75 and strike rate of 124.43.
• However, this is a new-look Royals attack, so the battles will be interesting. Williamson has scored 65 runs in 49 balls against Ashwin in T20s without being dismissed. He has scored 22 runs off 14 balls against Boult in the IPL for one dismissal. The figure against Chahal is 54 runs in 54 deliveries for one dismissal.
• Rahul Tripathi produced some gems in IPL 2021, scoring a total of 397 runs at a strike rate above 140. His battle with Trent Boult will be key, as the Kiwi quick has conceded just 14 runs off 15 deliveries to Tripathi with one dismissal.
• It is a big tournament for Nicholas Pooran. The West Indian was purchased for over 10 crores, and now needs to repay the faith after a poor 2021 campaign. He was superb against India in the T20Is last month, making scores of 61, 62 and 61.
• Washington Sundar could be an important asset for SRH in the powerplay. The Royals have three left-handers in their top six. Interestingly, Sundar averages 22 per wicket when he bowls under 90km/h (econ. 8.08) compared to 33 when he bowls 90 or above (econ. 6.75).
• Bhuvneshwar Kumar has taken 10 wickets in nine matches vs Royals at an average of 27.60 and economy rate of 7.77. Kumar has never dismissed Jos Buttler in the IPL (29 balls, 35 runs), but has taken his wicket three times in 29 deliveries in T20 Internationals (28 balls).

Rajasthan Royals:

• Skipper Sanju Samson has the most runs in RR-SRH matches. He has struck 512 runs in 14 matches at an excellent average of 42.67 and strike rate of 130.28. Also, Samson has scored a century on this ground; 102 off 63 balls vs Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017.
• Jos Buttler has struck 120 runs in four matches on this ground at an average of 60.00 and strike rate of 162.16. The Englishman has a century against SRH (124), but just 46 runs in his remaining five innings against them. Can he produce a big knock here?
• Buttler has excellent numbers at all stages of an innings in the IPL. He strikes at 135 in the powerplay (avg. 40), 138 in overs 7-11 (avg. 46), 153 in overs 12-16 (avg. 31) and 213 at the death (avg. 44).
• Yashasvi Jaiswal struck at 148.21 in his first full IPL season last year. He strikes at 151 between overs 7-11, so it will be interesting to see where the Royals bat him. He made scores of 36 and 13 vs SRH last year at a strike rate of 133.33.
• Shimron Hetmyer is an excellent spin-hitter. He strikes at 144 against spin bowled faster than 90km/h in the IPL. Also, he is coming off a superb IPL 2021 campaign, where he struck 242 runs at an average of 34.57 and strike rate of 168.05.
• Yuzvendra Chahal has a solid record against SRH. The leg-spinner has taken 17 wickets in 16 matches against them at an average of 27.18 and strike rate of 21.59. He will be key in the middle overs, where he averages around 20 in the IPL and concedes less than eight per over.
• Can Trent Boult make an immediate impact, especially at the death? He has taken nine wickets in eight matches against SRH at an average of 28.78 and economy rate of 8.49.
• Prasidh Krishna’s excellent ODI series vs West Indies (2/29, 4/12, 3/27) reminded everyone of his potential. He followed this up with 15 wickets in two First Class matches a month ago. But, whether he can improve his poor IPL numbers remains to be seen. His best period is overs 12-16, where he averages 16.3 and concedes 8.5 per over.

Other Stats and Facts

• Head-to-head: Matches 15, SRH 8, RR 7.
• Kane Williamson’s strike rate in the powerplay in the IPL is just 99. It is only slightly better (101) between overs 7-11. However, it jumps up to 154 in overs 12-16 and 175 at the death. So, the Royals need his wicket as early as possible.
• Rahul Tripathi vs Prasidh Krishna in the IPL: 8 deliveries, 21 runs, 0 dismissals.
• Abhishek Sharma struck at 176.92 in his two innings as an IPL opener last season (46 runs).
• Devdutt Padikkal averages just 14 and strikes at 104 against high pace. His battle vs Umran Malik will be one to watch. Conversely, he averages 83 and strikes at 136 against left-arm spin, so expect Abhishek Sharma to be held back if Padikkal is at the crease.
• The absence of a legspin option could hurt SRH against Buttler. The Englishman averages 36 vs medium pace (SR 145), 51 vs high pace (SR 150), 54 vs left-arm spin (SR 133) and 54 vs off-spin (SR 140).
• Trent Boult has taken the most powerplay wickets in the IPL since the start of 2020 (21). R Ashwin has taken the most wickets in the powerplay among spinners in the same period (8).

Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium Pune Pitch Report and Weather

The last IPL matches on this ground were played in 2018 as CSK played home matches in Pune. The average first innings score then was 173.83, with the chasing team winning four of the six matches in that tournament.

Expect another good batting track here, as has been the case in the tournament so far. However, the new ball bowlers have had success so far, and that is a possibility here on a fresh pitch.

Expect the captain who wins the toss to choose to chase on a very hot, clear evening. Temperatures will be around 40 degrees in Pune during the day.

Dream11 Prediction

Note: The below teams are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these in time. Use the stats and commentary in this article as well as your own instincts to create your teams.

Option 1:

Option 2:

Fan2Play Prediction

Base team:

• Wicket-keepers: Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Nicholas Pooran
• Batsmen: Kane Williamson
• All-rounders: Abhishek Sharma, Washington Sundar
• Bowlers: Trent Boult, Bhuvneshar Kumar

Match Prediction

Should be a cracking match. Rajasthan Royals have performed well in the opening match at times over the past few years, and they start as favourites here against an unpredictable SRH team. However, it could come down to chasing once again, so the team batting first will be aiming for 170+ at least.