IPL 10, Match 33, KXIP v SRH Preview: Kings return home to host Sunrisers Hyderabad

The Kings XI Punjab will finally get to play in front of their home crowds at Mohali this year. They had been playing their home games at the Holkar Stadium in Indore until now. Indore did serve to be a decent home venue for them as they notched their first couple of wins of the season there. However, in the recent times, they have seen their form dwindle. Now, they are up against Sunrisers Hyderabad, who are looking very strong at the moment.

Talking about the most recent form, Kings XI Punjab defeated the Gujarat Lions to get back to the winning ways. On the other hand, Sunrisers Hyderabad had a wash out a couple of days ago against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Prior to that, they were stunned by the Rising Pune Supergiant owing to the heroics of MS Dhoni. Despite that, the defending champions would be high on confidence owing to their decent run in the season.

The last time these two teams had played at Hyderabad in the earlier part of the season, it was a close game on the cards. Sunrisers Hyderabad had got the better of Kings XI Punjab in the game by just 5 runs. Considering the rich history of close games between the two sides, expect a closely contested game on the cards yet again when they lock horns at Mohali.

Toss: Kings XI Punjab won the toss and opted to field

David Warner: I was actually going to bat. It looks like one of those wickets where you put runs on the board. That’s been our compliment so far, the bowling. I’ve been giving a lot of credit to the bowlers. We’re going to back our strengths and for us, that’s defending. Nehra comes back and Yuvraj is back as well.

Glenn Maxwell: We’ll have a bowl. It’s stayed pretty similar last couple of years (the pitch). It looks dry but it plays well. The ball skids on under lights. He’s fit into the group beautifully (Sammy). Good to have him here. We’ve got four changes. Hashim Amla is out with a hamstring injury. Natarajan is injured too. We’ve got Morgan, Guptill, Anureet and Ishant coming in.

Playing XI:

Kings XI Punjab: Manan Vohra, Martin Guptill, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell(c), Axar Patel, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Mohit Sharma, Anureet Singh, KC Cariappa, Sandeep Sharma, Ishant Sharma

Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson, Moises Henriques, Yuvraj Singh, Deepak Hooda, Naman Ojha(w), Ashish Nehra, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul

Focus will be on

Glenn Maxwell

Kings XI Punjab skipper Glenn Maxwell needs to step up to the occasion if they wish to establish their dominion at the fortress this season at Mohali. Maxwell had started off the season on a brilliant note with two unbeaten finishes in the first two matches. However, a string of low scores followed in the next couple of games. He came back to form in the game that followed with a quickfire 40 odd of just 18 balls. The inconsistency has been the problem with the KXIP skipper and he needs to address it for the betterment of the side.

Wriddhiman Saha

Wriddhiman Saha had come into the tournament riding on some prolific performances in the domestic and international season. He was the constant run getter for the Indian team in the Test season at home. Coming into the tournament, he had revealed that he wishes to translate his good form of the longest format into the shortest format as well. Much to the disappointment of the KXIP team and fans, Saha has failed to live up to the name. He has no big score to his name thus far.

Yuvraj Singh

The veteran Indian batsman has a habit of being in the limelight. Yuvraj had made a promising start to the season with a couple of blitzkrieg cameos. One of those had come against the same opposition in the tournament opener. However, in the last 3 games, the southpaw has failed to deliver with the bat. He has got the opportunity to bat with a plethora of overs in hand. But the 35-year-old batsman has not capitalized on those chances. Considering the RCB attack which has not been the most consistent, Yuvraj has the best case to get back to his form in this game.

Team Combinations

Kings XI Punjab

The Kings XI Punjab would not tinker with their lineup after having won their previous game. However, West Indies all-rounder Darren Sammy was seen having an extended net session which could possibly see him drafted in the playing eleven. The only slot where he fits the bill in the lineup will be at the expense of Marcus Stoinis. Stoinis has not quite been firing this season. The bowling department looks decent albeit it lacks firepower.

Hashim Amla and Manan Vohra have been getting good starts but have failed to hit consistency. Glenn Maxwell is due for a big score too and so is wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha. Shaun Marsh is the other batsman in the middle order who is yet to deliver the goods with the bat.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

The Sunrisers Hyderabad have a very stable squad at their disposal. David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan are undoubtedly the star performers with the bat in the top order. Both have got runs under their belt this season. Kane Williamson has only added more stability to the already balanced top order. Whether Moises Henriques gets an extended game or Sunrisers get tempted to play Mohammad Nabi will be there to be seen.

Yuvraj Singh is likely to walk back in the playing eleven at the expense of either Deepak Hooda or Bipul Sharma. There is now news on Ashish Nehra as yet. However, his absence has not quite been felt by the franchise until now. Siddharth Kaul, Mohammad Siraj and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have been bowling well as the pace unit.

StatAttack

34 – David Warner has 34 fifties to his name – the most fifties in IPL history.

1349 – David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan’s cumulative total of 1349 runs in the previous edition of the tournament.