Sunrisers Hyderabad will like to extend their winning run to three matches when they take on Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in their next match.
Both the teams started the tournament with a loss but are now having contrasting fortunes in the league. While SRH are currently in the 4th position tournament KXIP are lying at the bottom end of the tournament.
Form guide:
Sunrisers Hyderabad:
Last 4 matches: L L W W
SRH made a quick turnaround in their fortunes by registering two brilliant wins in their last two matches against Mumbai Indians (by 7 wickets) and Gujarat Lions (by 10 wickets) yesterday (April 21).
With their openers finally getting into the groove and the bowling looking good, SRH are the favourites to clinch this encounter.
Kings XI Punjab:
Last 4 matches: L L W L
The 2014 runners-up are having a poor tournament so far. They have failed to perform as a team. They will have to raise the standard
of their game by leaps and bounds to defeat the in-form SRH and especially David Warner.
Strength:
Sunrisers Hyderabad:
Form of David Warner:
The form of their captain David Warner is their biggest strength. The Australian southpaw has been in great form, having made unbeaten 74 off 48 balls against Gujarat Lions in their 3rd match and 90 not out in the contest against Mumbai Indians. He also scored a quickfire fifty
in the defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the first match.
Kings XI Punjab:
Nothing has gone right for the from Punjab but Shaun Marsh’s return to form will give them a sigh of relief. The openers Murali Vijay and Manan Vohra are also in decent form. They would like to make some runs at the top order to help Miller and Maxwell play freely.
Weakness:
Sunrisers Hyderabad:
Middle Order:
With Shikhar Dhawan’s return in form, the top order looks solid but the middle order is not looking very balanced. With key players like Yuvraj Singh and Kane Williamson out due to injury, the middle order looks weaker than ever.
Kings XI Punjab:
Bowling and middle order:
The bowling has failed to stop the opposition batsmen from playing big shots. Not only that they have also failed to take wickets at regular intervals.
KXIP relies heavily on Maxwell and Miller to get quick runs towards the end but with both the batsmen out of form they have struggled to do so. Their batting can prove decisive for KXIP.
Expectations:
Looking at their current forms, SRH are clearly the favourites to clinch this tie.
Pitch conditions:
The pitch has something for both bowlers as well as batsmen. The pitch is expected to assist the bowlers early on but will become easy for batting as the match progresses.
Predicted XI:
Sunrisers Hyderabad:
David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan,Moises Henriques, Eoin Morgan, Deepak Hooda,Naman Ojha, Aditya Tare, Bipul Sharma,Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mustafizur Rahman, Barinder Sran.
Kings XI Punjab:
Murali Vijay, Manan Vohra, Shaun Marsh,David Miller,Glenn Maxwell,Wriddhiman Saha,Axar Patel,Mohit Sharma, Pradeep Sahu, Kyle Abbott, Sandeep Sharma.
Where to watch: Sony Max, Sony Six, Sony ESPN
Time: 8:00 PM (IST)