IPL 2021: Match 33 – Strongest Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) Predicted Playing XI against Delhi Capitals (DC)

It is not often you would see Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) languishing at the bottom of the points table in the Indian Premier League (IPL). But such are the unpredictable times that even one of the most consistent teams in the IPL, SRH have faltered, winning just a sole game from the seven completed games.

But all is not lost as they have seven games yet to be played and can hope to win those. Also, the team can take inspiration from Mumbai Indians, who had a similar turnaround during the IPL in 2014. Skipper Kane Williamson will yet again shoulder the team’s batting lineup. He has David Warner and Manish Pandey for the company. The bowling looks well composed with Rashid Khan leading the charge, so SRH should have hope and optimism.

First up, they face Delhi Capitals on Wednesday (22 September) at the Dubai International Stadium. The head-to-head is slightly in favor of SRH with 11 wins as opposed to DC, who have won eight games.

Predicted Playing XI of Sunrisers Hyderabad against Delhi Capitals for IPL Match 33:

Openers – David Warner and Wriddhiman Saha

Although David Warner was dropped from the last match of the India leg of IPL, he will surely open this time as Jonny Bairstow is unavailable for the remainder of the IPL. Warner will look to attack from the word go as he is also free of captaincy burden. He is not looked in his elements so far, but a break from the game might be just the tonic he needs to rediscover some form.

He will have wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha for the company. Saha looked in good touch playing the initial few games in India and will hope to play the perfect foil to Warner. Saha is also a good player of spin and can negate the threat posed by spinners.

Middle Order – Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Kedhar Jadhav

The middle-order is where the team was lacking to score runs. Barring skipper Kane Williamson, the rest of the batters struggled to get going. Again the New Zealand skipper has a task cut out of shouldering the team’s batting line-up. He will have to drop anchor and try to get the team past a decent score while batting first and hope to remain till the end during run-chases.

Manish Pandey and Kedar Jadhav struggled to get going, and that resulted in team posting scored below 150. While Pandey’s strike rate was questioned Jadhav’s waning hitting prowess at the death overs didn’t help SRH. But with shorter boundaries, the duo can look to play with a bit more freedom.

All-rounders – Vijay Shankar and Sherfane Rutherford

Vijay Shankar has been hugely disappointing so far for SRH. He came with the biggest expectations but has failed to live up to those up until now. His batting and bowling have been ordinary. But with a bit of a break between the games, Shankar will look to make better of this opportunity. Also, with no pressure of run-scoring, the Indian all-rounder can look to attack from the word go.

On the other hand, Sherfane Rutherford has not got many opportunities, due to the presence of Bairstow, Kane Williamson, and Rashid Khan. But with Bairstow unavailable and SRH also losing two games, the management can  give Rutherford a chance. He is more of a batting all-rounder and can probably slot in number six or five and score some runs during the closing stages.

Bowlers – Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma and T Natarajan

Rashid Khan will be leading the spin department, followed by three pacers. The Afghanistan leg-spinner has already picked up 10 wickets in the competition and will be looking to add more. The pitches in the UAE will suit his style of play more, and his fast googlies are hard to pick up by the batters.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, and T Natarajan will again shoulder the team’s pace lineup. The trio were effective during the India leg of the IPL and will again look to restrict the opposition teams. While Kumar will be economical at the powerplay and death overs, Sharma and Natarajan will look to pick early wickets upfront and restrict the batters by going big.