The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will take on the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) for the first time in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Friday at Rajiv Gandhi Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad.
Overview:
The SRH are on top half of the table with eight points after winning four of the six matches played so far. They defended a low total of 119 runs against the Pune Warriors India (PWI) in the previous match. Top order of the batting line-up has to perform and put a big total on the board.
The KXIP have earned four points after winning two of the four matches played so far. They defeated the PWI in their opening game but lost the next two matches. However, the win over the Kolkata Knight Riders in the previous match will boost their confidence.
Previous Meetings:
The teams will meet for the first time in IPL. KXIP had played against the erstwhile Hyderabad franchise, Deccan Chargers, 10 times in the past, winning on seven occasions.
Team News:
Sunrisers Hyderabad: They put up a low total in the last match against the PWI. The top order - Parthiv Patel, Cameron White, Quinton De Kock and Hanuma Vihari - failed to give good contribution. Biplab Samantray (37) and Amit Mishra (30) are the highest scorers of the team in the last match. Skipper Kumar Sangakkara, who warmed the bench in the match against PWI, may return to the side on Friday.
The strength of the team is no doubt bowlers. They defended a total of 119 in the previous match, which was commendable. Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma are stars but Amit Mishra and Thisara Perera are equally dangerous. The fact that Mishra took four wickets and Perera, three, against PWI is revealing enough.
Kings XI Punjab: The win against the KKR in the previous match will boost the confidence of the team to a new high. However, the poor form of its skipper Adam Gilchrist is a worry factor. Mandeep Singh scored 40 from 31 balls and tailender Manpreet Gony scored 42 from 18 balls in the last match to help the team put up a good total on the board. The top order of the team needs to pull up their socks and perform.
In bowling department, Praveen Kumar is in good form, and Azhar Mahmood took three wickets for 21 while Parvinder Awana took two, in the last match. They also boast of bowlers in Piyush Chawla, Parvinder Awana, Ryan Harris and Manpreet Gony.
Prediction:
KXIP are a balanced team with some local talents, who can pull up surprises on their day, but going by the performance in the ongoing IPL sixth season, SRH are favourite to win on Friday.
SQUADS:
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kumar Sangakkara (C), Akshath Reddy, Amit Mishra, Anand Rajan, Ankit Sharma, Ashish Reddy, Biplap Samantray, Cameron White, Chris Lynn, Dale Steyn, Darren Sammy, Dwaraka Ravi Teja, Hanuma Vihari, Ishant Sharma, Karan Sharma, Nathan McCullum, Parthiv Patel, Prasanth Padmanabhan, Quinton de Kock, Sachin Rana, Shikhar Dhawan, Sudeep Tyagi, Thalaivan Sargunam, Thisara Perera, Veer Pratap Singh
Kings XI Punjab: Adam Gilchrist (C), Azhar Mahmood, Bhargav Bhatt, Bipul Sharma, David Hussey, David Miller, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Gurkeerat Mann Singh, Harmeet Singh Bansal, Luke Pomersbach, Manan Vohra, Mandeep Singh, Manpreet Gony, Nitin Saini, Parvinder Awana, Paul Valthaty, Piyush Chawla, Praveen Kumar, Rajagopal Sathish, Ryan Harris, Sandeep Sharma, Shaun Marsh, Siddharth Chitnis, Sunny Singh
Where to Watch Live
The match will begin at 8:00 pm IST and will be telecast live on Sony Set Max channel.
