The Sunrisers Hyderabad have won 3 out of 5 matches while the Delhi Daredevils have won 2 out of 4. Occupying the 3rd and 4th position on the points table respectively, SRH and DD would love to make a move upwards. While the Daredevils would be disappointed on losing a close match against the KKR, the SRH would take heart from the fact that they managed to overcome the Vohra threat and pulled off a thrilling win against KXIP.
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PITCH
The pitch has generally been a flat track assisting the batsmen. But in the previous match, it was evident that the pitch was very slow and more helpful to the bowlers. Even a swashbuckling batsman like Warner failed to get going and played an uncharacteristic slow innings. The SRH managed to defend a low score of 160. If the same pitch is used for tonight’s clash, we can expect the bowlers to make merry and a low scoring thriller may be on the cards.
DELHI DAREDEVILS – STRENGTHS
The Delhi Daredevils have blown hot and cold this season. Some of the positives they have include the opening pair of Sam Billings and Sanju Samson. They have looked to be in superb form with Samson even scoring a century this season. In the middle order, Rishabh Pant has looked fabulous and is a huge prospect for Indian cricket in the future. Corey Anderson is expected to be back for today’s match after missing out on the previous one. He has been amazing as a finisher along with Chris Morris. The bowling has been the primary strength of the Daredevils with Zaheer Khan, Patrick Cummins and Chris Morris forming a lethal pace attack. Shahbaz Nadeem is expected to be back for this match as spinners are bound to be effective. Amit Mishra has also been amazing so far. With Mohammad Shami and Kagiso Rabada warming the benches, the Daredevils are spoilt for choice in the bowling department.
DELHI DAREDEVILS – CONCERNS
The inexperienced middle-order batsmen may prove to be a concern against the strong bowling attack of SRH. Shreyas Iyer is capable but has not shown good form yet. Karun Nair has been disappointing and his low strike rate should be addressed as soon as possible. The Daredevils have been good at defending scores but in case they need to chase, it might be a challenge for their batsmen. The bowlers should try to be a little more economical as giving away excess runs on a slow pitch may be fatal.
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SUNRISERS HYDERABAD – STRENGTHS
The Sunrisers have looked to be a dominant team in this IPL. David Warner has been giving them the starts with Moises Henriques and Yuvraj Singh backing him up. Naman Ojha was in form in the previous game and would look to build on it. Mohammad Nabi was drafted into the team and he delivered with the ball picking up a wicket. He can also be a brilliant finisher. Rashid Khan, the other Afghan, has been extremely impressive with many already hailing him as the find of the season. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been unstoppable with 15 wickets in 5 matches with a 5-for in the last match. Siddharth Kaul also looked good in the opportunity he got in the last match. Overall, the SRH look like a dangerous unit.
SUNRISERS HYDERABAD – CONCERNS
The Warner-led squad would be worried about the inconsistency of Shikhar Dhawan and Deepak Hooda. They have failed to contribute to the team like others have. Barinder Sran looked out of sorts with his deliveries being dispatched for boundaries. He conceded 29 runs in 2 overs which is not acceptable. Yuvraj Singh, after a good start, has faltered a bit and needs to get back into the groove.
PREDICTED XI
DD – Sam Billings, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant, Corey Anderson, Chris Morris, Patrick Cummins, Amit Mishra, Shahbaz Nadeem, Zaheer Khan.
SRH – David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan, Moises Henriques, Yuvraj Singh, Deepak Hooda, Naman Ojha, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Siddharth Kaul.
HEAD TO HEAD
Overall: Played – 8, DD won – 3, SRH won – 5
CONCLUSION AND MATCH PREDICTION
It is going to be a clash of the bowling of the Sunrisers and the Daredevils. The match may be determined by which team bats better. Zaheer Khan would like to defend and David Warner would like to chase going by the trends. Hence, it is almost certain that the SRH would be chasing tonight. Here’s what we predict for tonight.
Scenario
TOSS – SRH wins and opts to field / DD wins and opts to bat
1ST INNINGS SCORE – 145-155
MATCH – SRH win by 4-6 wickets.
