IPL 2018, Match 36, SRH vs DD, Match Prediction: Who will win the match today, Sunrisers Hyderabad or Delhi Daredevils?

The Sunrisers Hyderabad are at the top of the table with 12 points in 8 games and the odds are heavily stacked for them to make it to the top 4. They are coming into this game from a bit of a break and will be fairly freshened up to take on the misfiring Delhi Daredevils who are struggling to keep themselves alive in the tournament.

With the gap between the top 4 and the bottom 4 quite wide in the points table this season, it’s unlikely that any team will be able to qualify for the playoffs with 14 points. A team needs minimum 16 points which means Delhi will be in a must-win situation in every game they play from here on.

Pitch and Conditions

Hyderabad has proved to be one of the trickiest pitches for stroke-play so far due to its two-paced nature. While a few balls carry through nicely, others stick into the surface making it difficult for the batters to set themselves up. Playing it late and not aiming for too big a score is the key at this venue while you are batting first. The par score is round about 165.

Playing Combination

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Probable Changes – Basil Thampi out, Bhuvneshwar Kumar in

Bhuvneshwar Kumar should be fit to play after the week-long break Hyderabad have had and he should be straight in replacing Basil Thampi who although has done well in his absence, but will have to vacate his spot as the senior statesman returns.

Wriddhiman Saha is someone whose spot is a subject of discussion as he is not batting at the top anymore with Alex Hales opening the batting. But the alternative keeping option that Hyderabad have in the squad is Shreevats Goswami who is also a top order batter and is not an ideal man for the role down the order. The fact that Saha is much better of the two when it comes to glovework means Hyderabad will be reluctant to drop him.

Predicted XI: Shikhar Dhawan, Alex Hales, Kane Williamson (C), Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma

Delhi Daredevils

Probable Changes – No Change

Glenn Maxwell’s form is a huge concern for Delhi, but because of the X-factor he carries, they will probably stick with him for one more game. They may actually think of giving him a go at no. 3 and ask him to play his natural game just to free him up. Rishabh Pant, the kind of form he is in, can take up the finishing job batting at no. 5.

Vijay Shankar has come good for Delhi batting in the latter stages of the innings as he has shown some pedigree with his power game. He has got the capability of giving the ball a serious smash if it’s pitched in his arc and Delhi will be expecting another substantial knock from him tomorrow. The Tamil Nadu all-rounder is all, but an automatic pick at the moment with the way he has gone about his business since his return to the XI.

Predicted XI: Prithvi Shaw, Colin Munro, Glenn Maxwell, Shreyas Iyer (C), Rishabh Pant (WK), Vijay Shankar, Liam Plunkett, Amit Mishra, Shahbaz Nadeem, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan

Team Comparison

Hyderabad’s bowling gives them a slight edge in the encounter, but Delhi possesses enough talent to surprise them. The visitors just need to be smart and make sure they nullify the most dangerous tool Hyderabad have in their armoury which is Rashid Khan. The Afghanistan leggie will be the game tomorrow and his spell will be a massive play.

Hyderabad, on the other hand, must remove Pant cheaply to enhance their chances. The young left-hander has batted sensationally this tourney not just in terms of muscling the ball, but also with his 360-degree game. He has been very smart picking his spots and if he gets going, he can quickly turn the slide in Delhi’s favour.

Probable Top Performers

Rashid Khan (Sunrisers Hyderabad), Rishabh Pant (Delhi Daredevils)

Head to Head

Matches – 10, Sunrisers Hyderabad– 6, Delhi Daredevils – 4

The timing of the match: 08:00 pm IST

Broadcast Details

TV – Star Sports 1, Star Sports Hindi, Star Sports Select 1

Online – Jio TV, Hotstar

The prediction is for the Delhi Daredevils to beat the Sunrisers Hyderabad in this match.