IPL 9, Match 18 Preview: Sunrisers aim to build winning momentum

The Sunrisers Hyderabad kick started their campaign this season with two defeats. They have come back strong with two convincing victories after that; their last win being a thumping 10-wicket win over the then unbeaten side, Gujarat Lions. Now the SRH will be aiming to build the winning momentum and win their third game on a trot, something most teams have failed to do.

For the Kings XI Punjab, the match against the Sunrisers will be all about getting their combinations right and try to find that winning factor. Having won just one game so far and being among the bottom teams in the table so far would be worrying concern for skipper David Miller. The fortunes of the Kings XI lie largely in the hand of their under-performing middle order, mainly the overseas giants – Shaun Marsh, David Miller and Glenn Maxwell.

The two sides are all set to clash at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad in the home game for the Sunrisers.

Team News

Sunrisers Hyderabad:

The Sunrisers Hyderabad look settled in their squad. They have had hiccups with Kane Williamson, Ashish Nehra and Yuvraj Singh being injured but that is hardly going to affect the playing XI. Skipper David Warner has been in prime touch and his opening partner Shikhar Dhawan got runs under his belt too in the last match. Return of Dhawan to form is a big plus for the SRH. Their middle order hasn’t been exposed much and hence would be interesting to see how the likes of Naman Ojha perform under pressure. Aditya Tare is likely to retain his place in the side. The bowling unit looks fierce and its very unlikely that the unit would change.

Kings XI Punjab

The Kings XI Punjab would be hoping that their openers Murali Vijay and Manan Vohra continue to shine with the bat. Their primary concern would be the shaky form of skipper Miller and Glenn Maxwell. The bowling has looked weary as well since neither Mitchell Johnson nor Kyle Abbott found success in the chances that they got. Sandeep Sharma and Mohit Sharma have been shouldering the bulk of the responsibility. Axar Patel is having a lean run too. Johnson is most likely to return to the side in place of Kyle Abbott.

Probable XI-

Sunrisers Hyderabad:

David Warner (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Moises Henriques, Eoin Morgan, Deepak Hooda, Naman Ojha, Aditya Tare, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Bipul Sharma, Barinder Sran, Mustafizur Rahman.

Kings XI Punjab:

Murali Vijay, Manan Vohra, David Miller (C), Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Wriddhiman Saha, Axar Patel, Pardeep Sahu, Mitchell Johnson, Mohit Sharma, Sandeep Sharma.

StAttack:

1. Sunrisers openers Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner have 4 century stands between them, the most by any opening pair in IPL.

2. Glenn Maxwell last scored a half century in IPL way back in 2014 against the Chennai Superkings. It has been 24 innings since then and he is yet to cross the 50 run mark.

3. The middle order of Kings XI averages just 17.23 in this edition of the IPL, the lowest among all teams.

4. In the head-to-head clashes, Sunrisers hold the upper hand with 4-2.