IPL 10, Match 21, SRH v DD: Sunrisers Hyderabad Predicted XI

Defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad registered a much-needed win against the Kings XI Punjab, who were on course for a historic victory, courtesy – a one-man show by Manan Vohra. Although having begun their title defence in style, the Sunrisers fell into a slight slump following two back-to-back defeats. It was indeed important for David Warner’s boys to pull their socks up before they found themselves stuck at the bottom half of the table. Skipper Warner took matters into his own hands to see to it that the side don’t find themselves on the losing side yet again. His responsible knock of 70 ensured that the Sunrisers Hyderabad had 159 on the board, a total which looked out of reach after Powerplay.

Although Hyderabad is one of the bigger grounds in the circuit for this season of the IPL, defending 160 was always going to be a tough ask, especially with heavyweights like Maxwell and Miller in the opposition. Nevertheless, as has always been the case, it was Bhuvneshwar Kumar who was once again amongst the wickets. His rippers early on had almost sealed the game for the home team. Manan Vohra was the only obstacle that stood between the Sunrisers Hyderabad and victory. A Bhuvi yorker which trapped Vohra in front of the stumps was the last nail in the coffin for the Kings XI. Despite Vohra’s heroics, the Sunrisers Hyderabad went on to win the game by 5 runs.

The Sunrisers had a vice-like grip over the Kings XI Punjab as the visitors were reeling at 82-6. Nevertheless, some loose bowling, coupled with some brilliance from Vohra, saw KXIP almost sneak away with the game. Despite being in a commanding position, SRH would have had their hearts in their mouths at the start of the penultimate over of the match. Making a comeback for the Sunrisers, Barinder Sran had a poor outing on Monday night. He was belted for 29 runs in his two overs and went wicketless as well. Perhaps this calls for a slight rejig in the bowling line-up.

As the Sunrisers take on the Delhi Daredevils at home once again, they will look to consolidate their bowling attack. The likes of Sanju Samson and Sam Billings have looked threatening at the start for DD, and SRH will have to bowl to their strengths on a sluggish Hyderabad wicket.

Openers (David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan)

With the Orange Cap back on his head, the Sunrisers skipper has led from the front with the bat. Despite coming on the back of a poor test series against India, Warner has shown sensibility at the top of the order. His steadfast innings against the Kings XI was the decisive factor for SRH and was the difference between a score of 140 and 160.

Warner has been quite well supported by Shikhar Dhawan, but the latter hasn’t been able to convert the starts he’s got so far. With a highest score of 48 in this edition of the IPL, Dhawan will look to register his first half-century against the Delhi Daredevils. Moreover, the pressure will be on Dhawan to make a statement with the bat and knock on the doors of the national side ahead of the Champions Trophy. Shikhar Dhawan was prolific in the previous edition of the Champions Trophy, and he will surely look to perform here in the IPL and make a case for his selection.

Top order (Moises Henriques, Yuvraj Singh)

Moises Henriques started off this edition of the IPL with two brilliant 50s for Sunrisers. Although he missed out on the last couple of games with the bat, Henriques will look to make a comeback against the Daredevils. An effective batsman in the shortest format of the game, Henriques is also a handy bowler who picks up wickets with his clever change-ups in pace.

Yuvraj Singh announced himself to the 10^th edition of the IPL in grand fashion. He kicked off the tournament with fireworks from his bat. However, Yuvraj hasn’t been able to convert his starts thereafter, and will surely look to make it big against the Delhi Daredevils. Yuvraj Singh is almost an unstoppable force once he gets going. Much like his skipper, he can accelerate his innings within the span of a couple of overs.

Middle order (Naman Ojha, Deepak Hooda, Mohammad Nabi)

Sunrisers’ middle order consists of some promising young Indian talent. Both Naman Ojha and Deepak Hooda have stepped up to the occasion when the team has demanded it. When the chips were down for the Sunrisers against KXIP, Ojha came out with positive intent and scored a quickfire 34. Ojha is also trustworthy behind the stumps.

Deepak Hooda, on the other hand, is a good striker of the ball. Perhaps he hasn’t had as many opportunities to take centre stage as he’d have liked, but Hooda can be dangerous with the bat. The tall man can strike the ball a fair distance and add valuable runs lower down the order. Hooda can also lend his services as an off-spinner when the Sunrisers Hyderabad need the extra bowler.

Mohammad Nabi has turned into one of the most dangerous all-rounders in modern day cricket. His position at no.3 in the T20I all-rounder’s rankings is a testimony to his consistent performances. With an impressive strike rate of 141 with the bat, Nabi makes a handy contribution in the middle order. His right arm off-breaks have been lethal as well, just like he showed Eoin Morgan on Monday.

Bowlers (Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Bipul Sharma, Siddarth Kaul)

If there’s a sensation in the IPL so far, it’s been Rashid Khan. The Afghan leggie has foxed the best of batsmen in the tournament with his googlies. Nobody seems to be picking this man, as he deceives batsmen with his fast arm action and his clever variations of pace. Rashid was expensive against the Kings XI, but he was also amongst the wickets for SRH.

Speaking of sensations, this man has been the epitome of consistency in the last three editions of the IPL. With 15 wickets already in this season, he is head and shoulders above the rest of the lot. Bhuvi has held onto the Purple Cap following his brilliant performance last year, which propelled the Sunrisers to their maiden title.

Siddarth Kaul was last seen in the IPL back in 2014, but the youngster was impressive in his comeback on Monday. Given the responsibility to bowl the final over of the match, he kept his nerve and cleaned up Ishant Sharma to register a thrilling victory against KXIP. Kaul maintained a good line and length and ended with figures of 1-26.

The left-arm orthodox bowler Bipul Sharma has done a tidy job with the ball for the Sunrisers. Bipul hasn’t been given too many games in a given season, but he has chipped in with wickets when part of the playing XI. On a slow track which saw Cariappa turn the ball just enough to bring the stumping into play, Bipul will be effective against the Daredevils on Wednesday.