IPL 2019 – Match 48: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kings XI Punjab – SRH Predicted Playing XI

The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are in a spot of bother at the moment. In 11 games thus far, they have won five and are on a cliffhanger holding onto the fourth spot courtesy a better net run rate. By losing the previous game against the Rajasthan Royals, the ‘Men in Orange’ have put themselves in all sorts of trouble. In their remaining three games, they need to win at least two if not all the three.

SRH will be taking on the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in their next encounter – a team from whom they are facing some stiff competition. If the home team doesn’t manage to win this one, they will be kicked out of the top four and their chances of making it into the playoffs will get even bleak. Thus, the hosts will have to be at their best, especially with the bat.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH):

Openers (David Warner, Kane Williamson (c))

David Warner will be playing his last game of this season in front of the home crowd in Hyderabad. He loves playing at this venue and has scored a lot of runs here. The current ‘Orange Cap’ holder is way ahead of anyone else but missed out on scoring his sixth consecutive half-century in the last game. The Australian played an uncharacteristic knock where he accrued 37 runs from 32 balls and didn’t hit a single boundary during his entire innings.

Even though he hasn’t played a lot of cricket in the last four weeks, Kane Williamson didn’t look too rusty. He was timing the ball well and finding the gaps easily. A well-disguised googly got the better of him as he was bowled after scoring 13 runs. In the upcoming encounter, though, his contribution will be critical and needs to bat for at least 15-16 overs.

Middle Order (Manish Pandey, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Deepak Hooda)

Manish Pandey has turned things around dramatically as far as his batting is concerned. The talented cricketer is finally doing justice to his reputation and pay. Since he is coming in at three, he is getting some time to settle in and is playing exceptionally well. He started his innings with a boundary in both the previous games and went onto register a fifty as well. The Karnataka cricketer, yet again, will have a crucial role to play.

The problems for SRH start once their top three perish. To finish the innings for them, they’ve got Wriddhiman Saha and Deepak Hooda. While the Baroda cricketer has got a reputation of hitting big shots, he’s never been able to do that as yet for the SRH. There have been glimpses of his talent but he needs to play match-winning knocks. While Hooda got out for a first-ball duck against RR, Saha could only score 5 runs.

All Rounders (Vijay Shankar, Shakib Al Hasan, Rashid Khan)

Vijay Shankar is the man who will be batting at number four for the SRH. The Tamil Nadu cricketer has started the season on a good note but has failed to live up to the reputation as the tournament has progressed forward. At the moment, he seems to be struggling with the bat. Despite having walked in at a very good position in the last game, he failed to capitalise on the start and could only score 8 runs.

SRH have the option of bringing in either Mohammed Nabi or continuing with Shakib Al Hasan. The latter looks a better option as Shakib is much better with the bat. He hasn’t got much game time of late and is likely to improve as the tournament progresses forward. Not often bowlers make a comeback after conceding 16 runs in their first over. But Rashid Khan was great in the last match as he conceded just 14 in the remaining three overs. With the bat as well, he scored an important 8-ball 17.

Bowlers (Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed)

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is looking good as the tournament progresses forward. He has been highly economical and has done well both at the start and at the death. The KXIP openers, Chris Gayle and KL Rahul, have had troubles against the swinging ball. Thus, the bowling spearhead will look to exploit this weakness and make early inroads in the game. He went wicketless in the last match and gave away 22 runs in his four overs.

SRH might not revert to Sandeep Sharma and thus Siddarth Kaul is likely to get another chance. While Kaul was terrific the last season, he has struggled to get things right this year. He leaked 48 runs in his four overs the other night. Khaleel Ahmed will hold onto his spot and has been impressive in most of the games. In the last match, he conceded 33 runs and dismissed the dangerous Steve Smith.

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