IPL 2018: KKR v SRH, Match 10 - Sunrisers Hyderabad Predicted XI

Another scintillating performance from the Sunrisers Hyderabad helped them climb to the top of the table with two wins on the trot. Although a spirited Mumbai Indians comeback almost earned the two points in Hyderabad, the hosts held their nerve and their bowlers’ performance eventually made the difference.

Up next lies a difficult challenge for the Sunrisers and to win three successive games for the first time in their history, they should break an old record. They have never managed to win a game against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens and will be eager to turn that record around.

As it stands, they have a brilliant run-rate thanks to that big win against the Rajasthan Royals. The Knight Riders will not make life easy for them and in the past, we have seen how they managed to rattle the SRH at Eden Gardens. It’ll be interesting to see if the new captain Dinesh Karthik can maintain the streak set up by Gautam Gambhir. Here’s the predicted XI of the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Openers – (Wriddhiman Saha and Shikhar Dhawan)

A lot has been said about Wriddhiman Saha’s inability to open, but the management is likely to continue with him for a few more games. Alex Hales, the other opening option, can come into the XI at the expense of Billy Stanlake or Shakib Al Hasan, something which the team might not consent with.

Dhawan has been in the form of his life of late and he currently holds possession of the Orange Cap. He provided SRH with another thunderous start and is filling in the boots of David Warner really well. He is their most important player probably right now with Bhuvneshwar Kumar sidelined due to a back strain.

Middle Order – (Kane Williamson (C), Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan)

Skipper Kane Williamson is yet to fire with the bat, but the world is not oblivious to his batting prowess. He’s an outright match-winner and can turn things around in a span of few deliveries. Yusuf Pathan played a composed innings towards the end and will aim to get some runs after his name.

Manish Pandey’s untimely dismissal disappointed a lot of fans. He played a rash shot against the run of play, which opened the doors for the Mumbai Indians to stage a great comeback. He’ll be very keen to justify his price tag with a big performance against his former club.

All-rounders – (Shakib Al Hasan and Deepak Hooda)

Shakib Al Hasan is proving to be a great addition to the Sunrisers Hyderabad. He didn’t get a lot of games with the Kolkata Knight Riders, but he remains a very important member of this SRH team. It’ll be hard for the management to look beyond him despite the presence of some big all-rounders in Chris Jordan and Carlos Brathwaite.

Deepak Hooda played one of the finest innings of his career against Mumbai. The pressure was well and truly on Hyderabad with 11 runs to win in the last over, but he played a fabulous shot over covers for a six, which changed the game on its head. He might even get a promotion in the batting order.

Bowlers – (Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Billy Stanlake, Siddarth Kaul)

Rashid Khan was awarded the player of the match for his mind-boggling performance in the previous game. He gave away just 13 runs in his 4 overs, bowling 18 dot balls. Sandeep Sharma was roped in as a replacement for Bhuvneshwar and he might get another game considering Bhuvi’s fitness is not 100% and Sandeep has done a great job with the ball as well.

Billy Stanlake has been a brilliant addition to the SRH set up and he picked up two priceless wickets of Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard despite being a little expensive. Siddarth Kaul has been their best bowler in the first two games and if he continues his form for the rest of the season, the Orange Army will be unstoppable.

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