IPL 2018: RR v SRH, Match 28 – Sunrisers Hyderabad Predicted XI

The Sunrisers Hyderabad team has pulled off some miraculous wins in the last two games. They have defended a low total in this tournament not once but twice proving that the first win of these two was no fluke. The team never lost their hopes against KXIP after the openers put up a stand of over 50 runs. They believed in their abilities and pulled off something unbelievable.

The bowlers will take a lot of confidence from the last two wins. They will be eager to perform well against the Rajasthan Royals to make their hold at the top of the table even stronger. But, one thing they will have to address in their batting. Their batting unit has never come together to put up those big totals this tournament. They struggled to chase down small totals.

They will be up against the Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Sunday. The pitch at Jaipur has traditionally been a 160-170 pitch thus far in this season. It also has something to offer for the bowlers which will excite the SRH bowlers. The result of the game will pretty much depend on how the SRH batsmen go about their business. So, he is the predicted XI for the game:

Openers – (Shikhar Dhawan, Alex Hales)

With the middle order of the SRH not really firing, it is essential for the management to bring in Alex Hales. Hales, who was roped in as a replacement for David Warner didn’t get a go thus far in the season. The ball comes on to the bat well at Jaipur and the batsmen can post big totals if they get their eye in. SRH will hope for Hales to produce the fireworks at the top which they haven’t been getting so far.

Shikhar Dhawan didn’t look at great ease ever since he came back from the injury. But he is one of the mainstays of SRH’s batting and is expected to play a big role. With Hales at the other end, it will do a world of good for him as he can take his time at the top instead of being the aggressor. He will surely be looking to get back to the scoring ways against RR.

Middle Order – (Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Wriddhiman Saha)

Who would have ever imagined in their wildest of dreams that Kane Williamson will top the batting charts? He has been phenomenal for SRH this season. He converted his limitations into his strengths to excel in T20s. With him being back at the No 3 position, the middle order will look more stable. It also gives the openers the assurance of going hard on the power play and there is Kane backing up in case something goes wrong.

Manish Pandey looked in decent touch in the last game although there were quite a few catches dropped of his. He played a gritty knock on what was a slow pitch and should carry the confidence forward. Wriddhiman Saha has been off-colour this IPL and has failed miserably with the bat. So, we could see him being demoted down the batting order. He could probably bat after Shakib and Yusuf given SRH gets a good start.

All Rounders – (Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan)

Shakib Al Hasan is one of the vital cogs in the SRH lineup. He has contributed significantly both with the bat and the ball. He picked the crucial wickets of Mayank Agarwal and Aaron Finch against KXIP. Furthermore, he could open the bowling as Nabi is not in this predicted XI. With the bat, he has been consistently getting those handy scores which are useful when the game comes down to the line.

Yusuf Pathan will take up the role of the finisher as usual and is vital lower down the order in SRH’s batting line up. Furthermore, SRH could also use his bowling services if required. There is no point of having a player like Nabi in the line up when you’ve got a similar personnel who can bowl a bit and is quite effective.

Bowlers – (Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Siddarth Kaul)

Arguably, this is the most feared bowling lineup in the IPL. It is expected to strengthen further with Bhuvi coming back in. Although it is a harsh call to drop Basil Thampi, there is no other way. It had to be between him and Sandeep Sharma. Sandeep is really effective in the powerplay and restricts the batsmen with his swing. Bhuvi, who didn’t travel with the team to Mumbai has reached Jaipur. So, it is quite evident that he’ll be playing.

Rashid Khan and Siddarth Kaul are the other two important members that round up this bowling lineup. Rashid showed some great maturity in the last two games and will want to stay positive for this one as well. Siddarth was unfortunate not to have a wicket as a catch was dropped off his bowling. He is one of the leading contenders for the Purple Cap this season.

Here’s SRH Predicted XI for the game against Rajasthan Royals