IPL 2019 – Eliminator: Delhi Capitals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad – SRH Predicted Playing XI

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will be considering themselves pretty lucky. After losing their last two games, they had to depend on other results to go in their favour and that’s what happened. Mumbai Indians (MI) did themselves and SRH favour as they beat KKR to surge to the top of the table and they also knocked KKR out of the tournament.

It is the for the first time in the history of the IPL that a team has qualified for the playoffs with 12 points. SRH’s superior net run rate was always going to come in to play if the points were tied. However, SRH now needs to pull up their socks. Their dependence on David Warner and Jonny Bairstow was always evident but once they left, their void was too big to fill.

SRH will be happy that their bowling has come along nicely in the last few games. They have done well even on good batting tracks. But they will need to deliver in the big games as well. Hence, as we build towards the Eliminator, let’s take a look at the possible XI that SRH might play against DC.

Openers (Martin Guptill, Wriddhiman Saha)

Both Martin Guptill and Wriddhiman Saha have been guilty of throwing away good starts. While Guptill came in only two games ago, he looked in really good touch against RCB in the last game. He scored 30 in 22 balls before throwing it away.

Saha’s approach has become a template for him this season. He has opened the batting in three innings and has been dismissed in the 20s on all three occasions. He’s got runs quickly and in pursuit of not letting the momentum drop, he has tended to get out. However, both Guptill and Saha will know that this is a big game and giving SRH a good start will mean a good beginning.

Middle-order (Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Deepak Hooda)

Manish Pandey encountered a rare failure against RCB at No. 3 this season. But barring that, he’s been outstanding at the one-drop spot. The Karnataka batsman has looked in great flow as well. Kane Williamson finally got back amongst the runs as he scored a fine 70 not out in the last game against RCB. It was due to his efforts, SRH reached a total of 175.

Meanwhile, SRH has had a problem with the finisher’s role. They’ve often switched between Yusuf Pathan and Deepak Hooda. Abhishek Sharma was also given a few opportunities but none of them has inspired any confidence. Yusuf Pathan played the last game but was disappointing with the bat and in the field. Hence, Hooda might replace the elder Pathan brother.

All-rounders (Vijay Shankar, Mohammad Nabi)

SRH will expect more out of their all-rounders, especially with the bat. Vijay Shankar finally looked good in the last game but got carried away and threw his wicket. He looked fluent and he will be hoping he can carry that into the playoffs. Meanwhile, Nabi has been on and off with the bat. He’s striking around 150 this season but consistency is something that has been lacking.

On the bowling front of these two, Shankar has hardly bowled this season. He has bowled just eight overs so far in this tournament. Nabi has been one of SRH’s dependable bowlers. He’s kept things very tight and has built up pressure on multiple instances.

Bowlers (Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Basil Thampi)

This season teams have been very careful and circumspect against Rashid Khan. They try to play him out without giving him too many wickets. In the last game against RCB, he took a beating as Shimron Hetmyer carted him around. However, he has the ability to bounce back and has shown, he is a big-match player.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is in a good rhythm and is looking in excellent flow as well. He shrugged off the initial disappointment and has led the SRH bowling attack really well. Khaleel Ahmed has continued to deliver for SRH. He might go for a few runs, but he has the knack of picking wickets at regular intervals. Basil Thampi has done decently in the last couple of games and will most likely continue to be the third pacer.

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