Sunrisers Hyderabad Seek Redemption Against High-Flying Rajasthan Royals
Hyderabad: Sunrisers Hyderabad, amidst a turbulent season, aim to rectify their chasing woes and rejuvenate their campaign as they welcome the formidable Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League clash scheduled for Thursday.
The stakes are significantly higher for Sunrisers than the Royals, who have all but secured their spot in the playoffs.
Previously in ominous form, Sunrisers slid out of the top four positions on the points table following consecutive defeats against Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings, struggling to chase down targets.
Position on the Table: With five victories and four defeats, the 2016 champions currently occupy the fifth position with 10 points.
The team, led by Pat Cummins, has encountered collective batting failures in the top and middle order during chases, prompting head coach Daniel Vettori to reassess their approach to batting in the second innings.
While Sunrisers have managed to breach the 250-run mark three times this season while batting first, they have faltered in chasing totals exceeding 200.
“We have been successful in setting totals, and now we need to focus on our chasing skills,” admitted head coach Vettori after the defeat to RCB.
“We are well-suited to chasing, but it hasn’t clicked yet. So yes, it’s an area we need to work on,” remarked skipper Cummins after the loss to CSK.
Sunrisers’ Dependence and Challenges: Sunrisers heavily rely on the explosive starts provided by Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma. However, the team must find alternative strategies for innings reconstruction when these key players falter. Additionally, Aiden Markram’s performance has been below par, necessitating a stronger contribution from him.
In contrast, Rajasthan Royals, runaway leaders, aim to extend their near-perfect streak. Positioned atop the table with 16 points, they have established themselves as formidable contenders.
The Royals flaunt a potent top order, featuring Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and skipper Sanju Samson, all in good form. The middle order, comprising Shimron Hetymer, Rovman Powell, Riyan Parag, and Dhruv Jurel, has demonstrated promising performances.
With a robust bowling unit including Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, and Sandeep Sharma, the Royals are well-equipped for the challenges ahead.
The Teams (from): Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c), Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Donovan Ferreira, Kunal Rathore, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini, Sandeep Sharma, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan, Rovman Powell, Shubham Dubey, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Abid Mushtaq, Nandre Burger, Tanush Kotian, Keshav Maharaj.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Pat Cummins (c), Abdul Samad, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen, Rahul Tripathi, Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Sanvir Singh, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Agarwal, T. Natarajan, Anmolpreet Singh, Mayank Markande, Upendra Singh Yadav (wk), Umran Malik, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Shahbaz Ahmed, Travis Head, Jaydev Unadkat, Akash Singh, Jhathavedh Subramanyan.
