What Sunrisers Hyderabad have achieved in this Indian Premier League is truly astonishing. This is a side in which most of the batsmen are on poor form and can hardly get a decent score. Yet, they have been saved time and again by their bowling attack, which is by far the best in the IPL.
Rashid Khan is the best T20 bowler in the world, and thanks to him and the supporting cast comprised of Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Nabi, Sandeep Sharma, Siddarth Kaul and Basil Thampi, Sunrisers have been able to defend two scores as low as 118 and 132.
This is a truly remarkable bowling outfit. Remember, this is even without their two main fast bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Billy Stanlake. Stanlake is injured and out of the IPL, but Bhuvi could make a comeback soon.
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Rajasthan Royals had almost a week off during which the team enjoyed the wonderful tourist attractions of Rajasthan, such as the spectacular wildlife. But it’s time for work now and Royals have a big 10 days ahead of them as they take on 4 top teams.
The Royals have done pretty well, notching 3 wins out of 6, which is more than what Mumbai Indians, RCB and Delhi Daredevils could muster. The last time the two teams played, Royals were handed a nine-wicket defeat after having being restricted to 125.
Royals have finally got their batting line-up right. They have Rahul Tripathi back at the top, with Captain Ajinkya Rahane scoring freely, which is so unlike him. They have a solid middle order with overseas pros, but the likes of Jos Buttler and Heinrich Klaasen are still to come good. Their star player remains Sanju Samson, who has set the IPL on fire with his brilliant knocks. Jofra Archer has been fast and furious and has already proved to be a great pick.
Prediction: This is going to be a hard fought contest as Royals will be on a high after their amazing win against Mumbai Indians in the last game. But Sunrisers have the edge because of their bowling.
The Teams
Rajasthan Royals: 1 Ajinkya Rahane (capt), 2 Rahul Tripathi, 3 Sanju Samson, 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Jos Buttler(wk), 6 Heinrich Klaasen, 7 Dhawal Kulkarni, 8 K Gowtham, 9 Shreyas Gopal, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Jofra Archer
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Kane Williamson (capt), 3 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Yusuf Pathan, 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Mohammad Nabi, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Sandeep Sharma, 10 Siddarth Kaul, 11 Basil Thampi
Watch Rajasthan Royals play Sunrisers Hyderabad this evening at 4 pm live on Star Sports!
