IPL 2020: Match 22, SRH vs KXIP – SRH Predicted Playing XI

Just over two weeks into the tournament and the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are bogged down with several issues already. Mitchell Marsh was ruled out right in the first game of the tournament. Hardly halfway through, their pace spearhead, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, also injured his hamstring and will miss the entire IPL 2020. Moreover, with the batting not firing, the results have not gone their way thus far. In five games, the ‘Men in Orange’ won only two matches. They will be up against the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in their upcoming game.

SRH lead the head-to-head race against KXIP by a big margin of 10-4. This is a team they have often dominated in the tournament and would like to get back on track with a win in this encounter. However, they have got a few selection issues and some important decisions to make. SRH haven’t yet found out their best combination and hence, there could be a few changes for this game as well.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for the Sunrisers Hyderabad for SRH vs KXIP:

Openers (Jonny Bairstow (wk), David Warner (c))

David Warner struggled initially in the last game. However, the SRH skipper was patient and got the big shots going as he spent more time in the middle. While he will be the key to SRH’s success once again, the ways he’s been getting out in this tournament has been disappointing. The left-hander needs to be more decisive with shot selection and needs to bat through the 20 overs if his team is to win.

Jonny Bairstow, meanwhile, has been timing the ball beautifully. Even in the last game, he smashed 25 off only 15 balls. However, the wicket-keeper batsman hasn’t been able to convert those starts and make it into big ones. Even though he scored a couple of fifties, he took too long to get there on those occasions. He should look to carry on with his aggressive best but also ensure that he scores big.

Middle Order (Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Priyam Garg)

Manish Pandey has been batting at number three. But SRH could possibly send Kane Williamson in at that position in the next game. The New Zealand skipper takes some time to get his eye in and the number three spot could be ideal for him. He has got the game to accelerate later on. Pandey, on the other hand, can get going from the first ball. He hasn’t played the long innings so far in the tournament and at four, he can score some quickfire runs. Otherwise, SRH might even be pondering over bringing in Mohammad Nabi in place of Kane.

Priyam Garg will be the other batsmen in the middle order. While it is a tough ask expecting him to score in every game batting at five or six, the SRH management seems to have the confidence in him. He repaid the faith back with a brilliant half-century in one of the games.

All-Rounders (Vijay Shankar, Abdul Samad)

SRH management has got some tough calls to make with the all-rounders. Abhishek Sharma could be sidelined to make way for Vijay Shankar. The Tamil Nadu cricketer was seen fielding in the last match and it is likely that he could make his way back into the eleven. He can deliver a couple of overs at least with the ball and can be more than handy with the bat too. Abdul Samad will continue in his role as a finisher and can chip in with the ball too.

Bowlers (Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, T Natarajan, Khaleel Ahmed)

Most of the games in this tournament have been high-scoring. But Rashid Khan’s economy rate of 5.20 is just stunning. Even while playing at a venue like Sharjah, he only gave away 22 runs and even picked up one wicket. He will hold the key for SRH in the absence of Bhuvi. Sandeep Sharma is one of the best options the team has got and can swing the new ball both ways. They are likely to continue with him.

Khaleel Ahmed could be back for Siddarth Kaul. The latter gave away 64 runs against the Mumbai Indians (MI) which turned out to be the potential difference between the two sides. T Natarajan will continue in the side and will take up the death bowling responsibility. He has been phenomenal with the yorkers this season.