Things are not going well for Kings XI Punjab. The team lost in a big way to Delhi Daredevils, going down by 51 runs. Captain Glenn Maxwell admitted that there were many problems in the side and that he would have to look elsewhere in the squad for performers.
The likes of David Miller and Eoin Morgan will have to perform; otherwise they might get replaced as well with Martin Guptill and Shaun Marsh waiting in the wings. Clearly, the seniors in the Punjab side are not really performing as they should.
Before the loss to Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab lost to Kolkata Knight Riders by 8 wickets. They were however, able to beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 8 wickets. RCB, of course, has been an even bigger disappointment in this IPL.
Sunrisers Hyderabad haven’t had a good week either, having lost their last two games. They lost to Kolkata Knight Riders by 17 runs and to Mumbai Indians by 4 wickets. This came after their smashing win over Gujarat Lions by 9 wickets.
Mustafizur Rahman, the Sunrisers star player of the IPL 2016, has lost a lot of pace since his return from injury and was left out of the Sunrisers XI last match. He might however get a chance in this match as he has always done well in Hyderabad. He has taken seven wickets here at 25.85 and an economy rate of 6.96 in previous IPL. One of his memorable performances last year was a 2 for 9 in four overs against Kings XI Punjab, a match where he showcased his absolute mastery over his craft. He might replace Ben Cutting, who has been a solid player, but hasn’t really done much so far.
The Hyderabad side certainly looks more settled than the Kings XI team. They start as clear favorites for this match. Expect a clear and dry weather later tonight, as temperatures in Hyderabad have been soaring.
The Teams
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 David Warner (capt), 3 Moises Henriques, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Deepak Hooda, 6 Naman Ojha (wk), 7 Ben Cutting/Mustafizur Rahman, 8 Bipul Sharma, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Rashid Khan, 11 Ashish Nehra
Kings XI Punjab: 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Manan Vohra, 3 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 4 Eoin Morgan, 5 Glenn Maxwell (capt), 6 David Miller, 7 Axar Patel, 8 KC Cariappa, 9 Mohit Sharma, 10 Varun Aaron, 11 Sandeep Sharma
Watch Sunrisers Hyderabad take on Kings XI Punjab live on Sony Six tonight at 8 pm!
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