IPL 2017: SRH v GL, Game 6 - Match Result Predictions

The defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad will be up against the Gujarat Lions at Hyderabad. It will be the second match for both the players in the tournament this year. While SRH had made a thumping start to their camping, the GL side were hammered badly in their season opener. The Sunrisers had beaten the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the very same venue of Hyderabad in the first match of IPL 10.

On the contrary, the Lions were handed a 10 wicket defeat at the hands of the Kolkata Knight Riders at their home ground at Rajkot. Coming in to this particular SRHvGL encounter, the Sunrisers surely have an upper hand considering they have a much more settled balanced side getting in to the game. Gujarat Lions, on the other hand, have probably got their combinations wrong.

They have managed to put up a very strong batting unit on the cards. However, when it comes to their bowling, they have got a very weak-looking bowking line up with Praveen Kumar being their best bowler in the line up and the most experienced one too. This is the only reason why the SRH side might fancy their chances in the match. With no overseas bowler in the line up for GL, expect Sunrisers openers Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner to come out all guns blazing in the match.

In case, Sunrisers are put in stage of defending the total in the match, they will back themselves to defend it considering the bowling might that they have.

Here is what Crictracker predicts for the game:

Scenario 1: SRH wins the toss

Toss prediction: SRH would choose to bowl first

First innings score prediction: 190

Second innings prediction:  SRH wins by 6 wickets.

Scenario 2: GL wins the toss

Toss prediction: GL would choose to bowl first

First innings score prediction: 182

Second innings prediction: SRH will win by 20 runs.

Head to Head Record

Overall: Total Matches – 3, SRH Won – 3, GL Won – 0

The Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Lions have faced off each other on two occasions in the league stage matches thus far and once in a playoff encounter. When the two sides had first met at Rajkot in IPL 2016, the SRH had inflicted a heavy 10 wicket defeat on the GL. Openers Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner were too hot to handle for the Lions bowlers. The match coming up might well turn out to be a similar story.

When the two sides met at Hyderabad last year, it was Sunrisers who were victorious yet again. The two sides found themselves locking horns in the Qualifier 2 of the last edition. Yet again, the David Warner-led side were victorious. Hence, the head to head clashes have very little to offer for the Lions.

Playing Combinations:

Sunrisers Hyderabad

The Sunrisers are likely to field the same side that played in the tournament opener. They have a very settled batting line up with David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan being in supreme form for them since the last edition of the tournament. In the middle order, Moises Henriques and Yuvraj Singh struck their way back to great form as they smashed fifties against the RCB.

Deepak Hooda and Ben Cutting are the ideal players to have in the lower order who can take the long handle to great use. In the bowling department, Bipul Sharma has found an ideal support in young Afghanistan leggie Rashid Khan. Both bowlers were among the wickets in the previous match. Considering the pace attack, they have the best line up when it comes to experience. Ashish Nehra and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are proven new ball and death overs bowlers. They are rightly supported by someone like Barinder Sran.

Gujarat Lions

The Gujarat Lions have 4 proven players at the top order who have been very successful as openers in the international arena – Jason Roy, Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Smith, and Aaron Finch. But such is the beautiful game of cricket that there can be only two openers in the line up. They need to fix the bug sometime soon. Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo are still not fit and this will continue to sting the line up.

Suresh Raina and Dinesh Karthik showed good form in the middle order and that remains to be the only positive for them. The bowling looks very bleak. They have talented pacer Nathu Singh in the line up who needs to be picked up if they wish to pose some threat to the opposition. Someone like Manpreet Gony can pave way for Nathu Singh in the line up.

The odds are in favor of the Sunrisers Hyderabad and they could overpower the Gujarat Lions with their might in the batting.

Do let us know your predictions in the comment section below.