SRH look to do their bit for top-two finish against weakened Punjab Kings
Written by I Dig Sports
Match details
Sunrisers Hyderabad (third) vs Punjab Kings (ninth)
Hyderabad, 1530 IST (1000 GMT)
Big picture - SRH, rusty or rejuvenated?
A washout in their last game against Gujarat Titans means SRH are no longer in control of their fate. Even if they win against PBKS on Sunday afternoon, a top-two finish is not guaranteed. For that to happen, Rajasthan Royals will have to lose against Kolkata Knight Riders later in the day.
Before the GT game, SRH's previous outing was on May 8, against Lucknow Super Giants, when they chased down 166 inside ten overs. That means they will be in action after a gap of ten days. It needs to be seen if they will be rusty or rejuvenated.
Jitesh Sharma, who will lead the side on Sunday, has only two overseas players available: Rilee Rossouw and Nathan Ellis. With nothing to lose, this opens up an opportunity for domestic players to make an impression.
Form guide
Sunrisers Hyderabad WLWLL (last five completed matches, most recent first) Punjab Kings WLLWW
Previous meeting
Team news and impact player strategy
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Will SRH bring back Aiden Markram for Sri Lankan legspinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth? Without Markram, the batting looks a bit thin but Viyaskanth impressed with figures of 4-0-27-0 against LSG. Another option is to draft in either Mayank Agarwal or Rahul Tripathi for allrounder Sanvir Singh.
Abhishek Sharma could be their Impact Player if they bowl first and T Natarajan if they bat.
Probable XII 1 Travis Head, 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Mayank Agarwal/Rahul Tripathi, 4 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Shahbaz Ahmed, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, 12 T Natarajan
Punjab Kings
In the absence of Curran and Bairstow, Rishi Dhawan and Atharva Taide could get a chance. Prabhsimran Singh and Arshdeep Singh are likely to be their Impact Player options.
Probable XII 1 Prabhsimran Singh, 2 Atharva Taide, 3 Rilee Rossouw, 4 Shashank Singh, 5 Jitesh Sharma (capt, wk), 6 Ashutosh Sharma, 7 Rishi Dhawan, 8 Harpreet Brar, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Nathan Ellis, 11 Rahul Chahar, 12 Arshdeep Singh
In the spotlight - Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harshal Patel
Stats that matter
- Bhuvneshwar has dismissed Prabhsimran three times in 11 balls while conceding only 15 runs.
- Rossouw has scored only five runs in ten balls (no dismissal) against Bhuvneshwar and 14 runs in 12 balls (one dismissal) against Pat Cummins.
- Abhishek has hit Arshdeep for 34 runs off 23 balls without getting out even once.
- Harshal has dismissed Heinrich Klaasen three times in 30 balls while giving away only 38 runs.
- Reddy has enjoyed batting against Harpreet Brar: 38 runs in 16 balls, no dismissal.
Pitch and conditions
Hyderabad has been a high-scoring venue this IPL, with an average first-innings score of 203. Only the Arun Jaitely Satdium (10.69) has seen a higher run rate than Hyderabad's 9.94. However, the weather could play spoilsport once again as there is a 30% chance of rain.
Quotes
"I am someone who is never happy [with his performance] but I love it when the team wins. I agree I have been a bit up and down but my intent was very good, my intention was very good. I think I had good learnings this year and because now I have seen this phase, it's better for me in future."
Jitesh Sharma - 155 runs at a strike rate of 122.04 - reflects on his season
Hemant Brar is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: 
Email: 
