IPL 2018: Match 42, DD vs SRH – Sunrisers Hyderabad Predicted XI

The Sunrisers Hyderabad will face Delhi Daredevils in a reverse fixture on Thursday. The previous encounter between these two sides was a really close fought one. The game went down to the last over with SRH just about managing to get over the line courtesy Yusuf Pathan. He hit 27 off just 12 balls to get them across in the last over.

While SRH played RCB after that game, the Daredevils had a small break. They will be hosting SRH at their home ground, the Feroz Shah Kotla and will be wanting to take revenge in the reverse fixture. Delhi, potentially out of the tournament will be playing for pride. They will want to make an impact in the final stages of the tournament.

SRH, on the other hand, beat the Royal Challengers Bangalore by 15 runs. This was their fifth win in a row and they became the first team to reach the playoffs. Kane Williamson & Co. will be itching to end up in the top two on the points table. Here is the Predicted XI for SRH for the game against Delhi Daredevils.

Openers (Alex Hales, Shikhar Dhawan)

Alex Hales had a rare failure in the game against RCB. In fact, it is his first big failure in his short IPL career. On a pitch that was two-paced, Hales was bowled off a cross seamer from Tim Southee. He scored just 5 in 5 deliveries which included a good looking boundary. He will have to get back to the run-scoring and try to make an impact going into the business end of the tournament.

Shikhar Dhawan has not been at his best with the bat this season. After playing a very promising inning in the first game against RR, he hasn’t really got going. He failed to convert the starts and has been picking the fielders in the deep. However, he is too good a player to be dropped and SRH without any doubt will persist with him as he can turn things around in no time.

Middle Order (Kane Williamson, Deepak Hooda, Wriddhiman Saha)

When IPL gives you an opportunity, grab it like Williamson did. He just keeps proving it time and again that T20 is not always a power game. The New Zealander is absolute class and is so pleasing on the eye. In the game against RCB, he played one of the best knocks this IPL. On a very slow pitch, he played a gem of knock and scored 56 off 39 balls. He will want to do well against DD too to ensure them a place in the top two on the points table.

SRH management will be scratching their heads on how to deal with Manish Pandey. He is just not getting the runs despite trying really hard. Hence, we might see Deepak Hooda get a go. This kind of break will help Manish mentally and he can come back strong for the games later on. Saha is another headache for the SRH team and is not managing to get amongst runs. He is demoted way down the order and is in the XI because he is the best keeper available.

All-Rounders (Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan)

Shakib Al Hasan somehow got going on a pitch that was difficult to bat on. He has had a patchy season with the bat thus far but came in really handy with the ball on quite a few occasions. Shakib picked the priced wicket of Virat Kohli getting SRH back into the game against RCB. He is expected to cling on to his place in the XI and play against DD.

Yusuf Pathan tried to go aggressive in the last game and has scored 12 off 7 before he was bowled off Siraj. He is a valuable asset to the side and can also roll his arm over. Yusuf was spectacular in the field and has pulled off a blinder to dismiss Kohli. Yusuf will continue to feature in the XI for the next game without much of a doubt.

Bowlers (Rashid Khan, Basil Thampi, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma)

The Masters of Defence! Undoubtedly the best bowling lineup in the IPL. Give them any target and they will somehow manage a way to defend it. That’s how this bowling lineup has been doing throughout the course of this tournament. However, he might expect one change here. Basil Thampi could be roped in for Bhuvneshwar Kumar due to the workload concerns. He was phenomenal the last game defending 12 off the last over but he might get some rest before going into the playoffs.

Rashid Khan, Siddarth Kaul and Sandeep Sharma will complete the bowling lineup for SRH. These guys never leave a chance to get on the top of the batsmen and are always looking for wickets. They are also very economical if you consider the average scores this year. DD will have to deal well with them as they failed to do substantially well against this lineup earlier.

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