The last leg of the Group Stage of the Indian Premier League often brings the most nail-biting matches, and this one promises such thrills in spades. The last meeting between these two teams, which took place on April 9 this year, was an absolute scorcher with barely anything to separate the opponents. This one should be no different, except that there’s exponentially more at stake for one of the teams.
Following the washout between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titans, this game will play a big part in deciding whether the 2016 champions play in the Qualifier or the Eliminator when they move to the second round. The match won’t affect Punjab Kings’ much, but they’ll undoubtedly want to go out on a high after recently beating former league leaders and regional rivals Rajasthan Royals.
Sunrisers Hyderabad Preview
Fate can often be bittersweet. The rain that fell on Thursday to dampen SRH’s hopes of a de facto Qualifier berth was also critical in ensuring that they go through to the Playoffs regardless of all other results (a loss would have meant they would have to win against PBKS to progress). Sunrisers Hyderabad have been a team of many colours this season, decimating opponents as well as all human records in some games, and tapering off into oblivion in others. This may not have given them a front-row seat to the playoffs, but it has undoubtedly made them a scary side.
The proponents of this fear, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, and Heinrich Klaasen among others, have been — and this is by no means an exaggeration — ridiculous this season. From scores of 277 and 287 to devouring a target of 165 in 9.4 overs without losing a wicket, Sunrisers have brought a whole new dimension of batting to the IPL — one that resembles the Abu Dhabi T10 more than the flagship Indian tournament. They are forces to be feared, and unlike many other foreign batters, Head and Klaasen are not going anywhere.
While SRH’s bowling hasn’t shined as brightly, it hasn’t exactly been subpar, either. The bowlers are still doing their job, just not with as much skill and panache as the batsmen. Thangarasu Natarajan, Pat Cummins, and Indian stalwart Bhuvneshwar Kumar have all been reasonably effective for the team.
Sunrisers Hyderabad Predicted XI: Pat Cummins (c), Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Sanvir Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Vijaykanth Viyaskanth, Marco Jansen.
Punjab Kings Preview
Barring one good season where they were runners-up, the Kings have never been prolific in the IPL, and at this point one has to question whether they just have inept management or just the worst luck imaginable. It’s been another miserable season for the perennial underdogs of the IPL, and Punjab fans are probably just hoping to stay above Mumbai Indians on the table. Nevertheless, beating their neighbours Rajasthan must have been a bit of a reward, and thwarting a hopeful rival that they almost beat earlier in the season will be a fitting ending.
Punjab’s batters haven’t been at their best, and even their best-known batsman and all-rounder, Jonny Bairstow and Sam Curran, won’t be available to them for this clash. The onus now falls to accidental purchase Shashank Singh to carry the team, while local boy Prabhsimran Singh and South African T20 veteran Rilee Rossouw must step up to lift their team up in lieu of heavier firepower.
PBKS’ bowlers have been a shade better than their wood-wielding counterparts, with most of their handful of wins coming by way of a better bowling performance. Harshal Patel has been consistent, and although he has had some poor games, Arshdeep Singh is still a decent bowler on most days. The real challenge they will face is to find someone worthy of filling the gap left by Sam Curran, as they only have one other genuine all-rounder who is far from being the former highest-paid player in the IPL.
Punjab Kings Predicted XI: Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Rilee Rossouw, Sam Curran (c), Jitesh Sharma, Ashutosh Sharma, Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar, Nathan Ellis, Rishi Dhawan, Shashank Singh, Atharva Taide.
Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Punjab Kings Head to Head
Sunrisers Hyderabad have won three of the last five matches between the two teams. However, that barely scratches the reality of these two sides. SRH has faced PBKS a total of 22 times. In these 22 games, the Sunrisers absolutely dominated the Kings having won 15 of those encounters. The Punjabis could only overcome their opposition 7 times. Not only did SRH claim victories, but they also won their games by large margins.
Sunrisers vs Kings Weather and Pitch Conditions
Despite possible rains on Friday and Saturday, the skies above Hyderabad should clear up by Sunday, leading to some rock-solid cricket without any unwelcome interruptions. Given that the match will end some time before dew becomes a factor, the toss will not be as important as it is for night matches.
The Rajiv Gandhi Stadium has been a batsman’s paradise this season, so one can expect some serious fireworks on Sunday. As weird as it sounds, even 250+ isn’t safe on this ground, so batters need to be at their absolute peak in order to dispatch every possible delivery to — or over — the boundary.
SRH vs PBKS Betting Odds
Sunrisers Hyderabad 1.50 – 2.62 Punjab Kings (bet365)
Betting Tip: Hyderabad vs Punjab Winning Prediction
There is no doubt about the fact that Sunrisers Hyderabad are the stronger team on paper, but the IPL is rarely about who has the best stats, and always about who does better on the field on a given day. It’s been a long time since an SRH team has shown this much promise, and it would be fitting if they leapfrogged a floundering Rajasthan side, considering the records they have broken this season.
A win for Punjab would be a sizable upset, as any cricket expert or bookmaker odds will tell you, but the IPL is known for such upsets. A bad day for certain SRH batsmen or a particularly sharp day for PBKS bowlers could result in a freak victory for the Punjabis. Home advantage will be with SRH, but that blessing can easily turn into the curse of pressure if the game is not going your way.
That being said, we believe SRH will take the match, and take it in style.