The Sunrisers Hyderabad would have loved to have gone into this game – their final one of the league phase of IPL 2017 – already qualified for the playoffs. That looked pretty likely after they won their last match on Monday, only for Kings XI Punjab, with two impressive wins, to upset the applecart a touch.
Now, SRH must win this game, against the Gujarat Lions in Kanpur, to make absolutely sure they will be a part of the IPL 2017 playoffs.
The Gujarat Lions, though, will want to sign off from the season – and as an IPL franchise – with a victory.
Here is a look at how GL vs SRH could go.
If Gujarat Lions bat first:
Ishan Kishan is an early wicket for Bhuvneshwar Kumar, but the Gujarat Lions overcome that loss as Dwayne Smith and Suresh Raina put on a CSK-like partnership.
It is a chancy alliance, but that doesn't matter as both batsmen go hammer and tongs, with the Sunrisers Hyderabad struggling to stop the bleeding.
Moises Henriques is the man to break the partnership, but GL continue scoring at a good pace with Dinesh Karthik coming in and timing the ball well.
SRH training session in Kanpur
Aaron Finch and Ravindra Jadeja then smash a few sixes towards the end as the GL innings ends on 198.
David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan go on a tear from the off, scoring 72 runs in the Powerplay. They continue their partnership all the way to the tenth over, when Dhawan is picked up by Ankit Soni.
Henriques and Yuvraj (if he plays, otherwise Deepak Hooda) is unable to add too much to the score, but all Warner needs at the other end is for someone to stay with him. That man is Vijay Shankar, and the two take SRH to the win they need to qualify for the playoffs.
If Sunrisers Hyderabad bat first:
Smash, bang, caress, wallop is the Sunrisers Hyderabad openers' mantra, and that mantra works for them like a dream, with Dhawan and Warner taking the score all the way to 108.
When the two openers fall, the platform is there for a big score, and Henriques and Yuvraj/Hooda obliges with a couple of nice knocks, which takes the SRH score all the way to 210.
GL know they need to throw caution to the win from ball one and that leads to Smith's early dismissal.
The two left-handers – Kishan and Raina – put on a half-century alliance, but the required run rate keeps increasing.
As the pressure tells, Kishan and Dinesh Karthik fall in quick succession, but GL somehow stay in the game thanks to a wonderful partnership between Raina and Finch.
The two take the game deep, but just when a win looks likely, a brilliant over from Bhuvneshwar swing the match SRH's way.
