It is that time of the tournament when permutations and combinations start taking force - for Rajasthan Royals, a team which cannot afford to drop even a single match, have to also rely on external help if they have to make it to the playoffs. They take on Sunrisers Hyderabad, a side which still has their fortunes in their own hands, but after the hiding they received at the hands of Shane Watson, they need to quickly get their acts together.
Jonny Bairstow, Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes will be the notable omissions from both the squads and the sides will have to come up with replacements for the same.
Predicted XI of both sides:
Rajasthan Royals predicted XI: Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson (wk), Steve Smith (c), Ashton Turner, Riyan Parag, Liam Livingstone, Stuart Binny, Shreyas Gopal, Varun Aaron, Oshane Thomas, Jaydev Unadkat
Sunrisers Hyderabad predicted XI: Kane Williamson, David Warner, Manish Pandey, Vijay Shankar, Shakib Al Hasan, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Deepak Hooda, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed
Fantasy tips and suggestions:
Wicket-keeper: Jonny Bairstow has departed and this has left a massive hole in SRH camp. Sanju Samson thus gets a look in as the wicket-keeper and the young man has to make a big impression for Rajasthan at the top of the order.
Batsmen: Ajinkya Rahane has been brilliant in the last two matches, he has gone after the bowling in the powerplays and has given Rajasthan a fast start. Also, Steve Smith has dropped anchor in the middle overs to lead his side to competitive scores.
For Sunrisers Hyderabad, David Warner has been a run-scoring machine and his prowess at the top of the order has been exceptional. In the absence of Jonny Bairstow, responsibility increases on the left-hander. Also, Manish Pandey finally came good in the previous match against Chennai Super Kings and on a better batting strip in Jaipur he should take up more responsibility.
All-rounders: Rajasthan could give Ashton Turner another go and this could well be the match when he breaks the string of 5 consecutive ducks. Also, for Sunrisers, Shakib in the middle overs, both with the bat and ball, is the key player.
Spinners: Two leggies in Shreyas Gopal and Rashid Khan make it to the side as both have been exceptional for their respective sides in not only picking up the wickets but also controlling the flow of runs in the middle overs.
Seamers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Varun Aaron - these two bowlers should be in the fray. While Bhuvneshwar is as consistent as ever with the new ball, Aaron was sharp and got the ball to deck in against Kolkata Knight Riders, which could make him a threat.
