Sunrisers Hyderabad face Rajasthan Royals in match 26 of the Indian Premier League at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai. Here’s the analysis
The SWOT for SRH
Strengths: SRH’s batting has become stronger as the team progressed. Jonny Birstow has 3 fifties, David Warner has 2 fifties and Kane Williamson has 1 fifty in the tournament so far. With youngsters providing spark lower down the order, SRH’s batting looks in better shape at the moment.
Weaknesses: SRH’s middle order is less experienced. In a crunch situation, it has crumbled leading to SRH’s meek surrender. The middle order needs to be rectified.
Opportunities: Bairstow and Warner can get back in the form that they enjoyed last year. in 2019, they were the best openers in the league. They now have the opportunity to reclaim the title.
Threats: David Warner would be facing Steve Smith. Smith knows a lot about Warner’s game and could come up with a trick or two to neutralise Warner’s game and strategies.
The SWOT for RR
Strengths: RR boasts of some vastly experienced international players. Steve Smith, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, David Miller have played cricket at the highest level. With the team in lurches, these players need to come together and uplift the spirit of the team.
Weaknesses: RR’s batting is in bad shape at the moment. Steve Smith and Sanju Samson’s early form seems to have faded. The middle order too is weak. Jos Buttler hasn’t lived up to the expectations yet. There is an urgent need to rectify the shortcomings in the batting.
Opportunities: Ben Stokes would surely return into the playing XI. He has the opportunity to make a grand return and make an instant impact to overturn the team’s fortune.
Threats: Unfortunately, the team has reached a point where it could ill afford to lose any more matches. Any further loss could seriously dent RR’s chances of a playoff spot.
Head to Head
Matches Played: 11
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 6
Rajasthan Royals: 5
Last five matches:
Sunrisers Hyderabad: W-L-W-W-L
Rajasthan Royals: L-L-L-L-W
Deccan Herald’s Dream XI:
David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, Priyam Garg, Abdul Samad, Rahul Tewatia, Shreyas Gopal, T Natrajan, Khaleel Ahmed, Kartik Tyagi
Ground Conditions
Temperature likely to be at 37° Celsius. Hazy sunshine forecast. Humidity expected to be 38%.
Team News
No injury reported from either side.
Ben Stokes would have completed his quarantine and it remains to be seen if Steve Smith includes him in today’s game.
Impact Player for SRH:
Rashid Khan: After having a slow start to the season, Rashid Khan is back among the wickets. He is SRH’s leading wicket taker with 8 scalps at an average of 14.50 and economy of 4.83. In the absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan needs to shoulder the responsibility of picking regular wickets for SRH.
Impact Player for RR:
Jofra Archer: The England pacer has picked 8 wickets for RR. He is averaging at 20.75 and has an economy of 6.91. His aggressive bowling early on can restrict David Warner and Jonny Bairstow from getting big runs.
How to watch
The match will be broadcast live on the Star Sports network. Viewers can also catch the action online on Disney+Hotstar. The match begins at 3:30 PM IST.
