IPL 2018: Match 36, SRH vs DD, Preview - Impulsive Daredevils challenge the defiant Sunrisers

Can Sunrisers add insult to Delhi Daredevils injury?

Published - 04 May 2018, 19:30 IST | Updated - 04 May 2018, 19:30 IST

2 Min Read

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will face the Delhi Daredevils (DD) who have been impressive under their new skipper Shreyas Iyer in the last few matches. Every match is like a knockout game for them now and will be upbeat to put their best foot forward. Though the hosts have emerged as one of the best bowling sides this year and they have the capability of ending their season prematurely. However, the advantage is with the Orange army going into this game but they surely can’t take the exuberance of youth in Delhi camp.

Hyderabad’s bowling attack is in exceptional form and has defended the scores of 118,132 and 151. There is no weak link in that department whatsoever and the road is tough going ahead for their opponents. But they will still be worried about their batsmen who are somehow managing to score around 150 when the other teams are raking scores close to 200 consistently. The inclusion of Alex Hales in their previous encounter also didn’t reap rich rewards but he is expected to play next few games now.

Trent Boult’s heroics in the last over against the Royals saved Daredevils from getting knocked out of the tournament. They have to sort out their bowling issues and have to beef up their resources in order to keep a lid on the under-performing line-up. Their Indian batsmen are in amazing form and the team needs their overseas recruits to contribute to the team’s cause now. it will be interesting to see if they make any changes to their winning combination in order to tackle the home side.

Toss: DD won the toss and elected to bat

Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Alex Hales, Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson(c), Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma

Delhi Daredevils (Playing XI): Prithvi Shaw, Naman Ojha, Shreyas Iyer(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Glenn Maxwell, Vijay Shankar, Daniel Christian, Liam Plunkett, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Trent Boult

Team Combination

Sunrisers Hyderabad

SRH might finally include Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the XI who is fit after recovering from his back injury. Basil Thampi should be the unlucky man to make way for him. The home side needs their batting unit to click and cannot depend on the bowlers always to defend small totals posted by them. Alex Hales is expected to give them the good start as Dhawan has tailed off a bit after starting well. Their bowling has never been in question and needless to say that they will continue to perform well.

Delhi Daredevils

Delhi might slot in Jason Roy again who is expected to be fit for this game. He will replace Colin Munro who has been far from consistent this year. The rest of the line-up is expected to be same with their Indian trio of Shaw, Iyer and Rishabh Pant taking care of tonking the ball out of the park. The bowlers have to keep their heads up and stick to their plans even if they go for runs at times. They panicked in the previous encounter and can’t afford another such outing.

Focus will be on

Alex Hales (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Alex Hales finally got a chance to play this season against the Royals but he couldn’t blaze away as expected. Though he made sure that he didn’t throw away his wicket and played sensibly. But the team would want him to play his natural game and show some aggression in order to post or chase big totals. Now that he has got hold of the conditions in the country, Hales will be itching to get himself going. Much will depend on the start he will provide to the team along with Shikhar Dhawan.

Prithvi Shaw (Delhi Daredevils)

The 18-year-old has taken this IPL season by storm and has impressed one and all with his technique. His textbook drives and backfoot punches have grabbed the eyeballs of the experts and the analysts. With 140 runs under his belt after only 4 matches, Shaw will look to build on the amazing start he has got in the cash-rich league. The strike-rate of 166.67 is also the testimony of how well he is hitting the ball. A lot will be dependent on him on how he counters the swing of SRH bowlers upfront.