Two of the most underrated teams of IPL will begin their journey for the season against each other when Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will face each other. The venue for the match is MCA Stadium, Pune. However, before the game begins, let’s look at some clashes within the game that may decide the fate of the encounter.
Hyderabad Prime Batters
SRH will depend mainly on skipper Kane Williamson and Nicholas Pooran to put up a fighting total on the board.
Kane Williamson: The main batter for SRH will be Kane Williamson. Let us look at his performance against the main bowlers of Rajasthan.
Table: Williamson vs RR Bowlers
Observation: Ashwin would be the greatest weapon for the Royals. Although it appears that Williamson is outstanding against the off-spinner. Ashwin has dismissed him only once till now. Thus, the SRH skipper's presence in the middle-overs will be critical for both teams.
Meanwhile, the Kiwi stays relatively quiet against the leg spin of Yuzvendra Chahal. The leggie can a nice bet against him, but Chahal has also dismissed him just once. Meaning Chahal can be economic against Williamson but there is no guarantee of scalping his big wicket.
Nicholas Pooran: What can be expected of Pooran against Rajasthan.
Table: Pooran vs RR Bowlers
Fig: Pooran vs RR Bowlers, Runs vs SR
Observation: If Pooran is to be kept quiet, spin is your most feasible option. He is not very good against the two spin-twins of Rajasthan. With Ashwin and Chahal in the bowling lineup, Sanju Samson should not spend much time bringing the duo to the attack when Pooran arrives at the crease.
Hyderabad Bowling
The SRH bowling will depend a lot on how Bhuvneswar Kumar performs. Let’s look at how he performs against the main Batters of Rajasthan.
Table: Bhuvneswar Kumar vs RR Batters
Observation: Sanju Samson plays Bhuvneshwar the best of all the above-mentioned batters. Whereas, the swing-bowler is very superb against Rajasthan's top overseas players. His numbers paint the whole picture of how canny Bhuvi could be against the likes of Samson and Hetmyer.
Usually, Bhuvneshwar two of his overs up-front. It would be interesting to watch how the Sunrisers captain uses his ace pacer as he would be needed in all phases of the game.
These analytically driven stats give us a clear idea of where the teams stand and also gives us an overall SWOT analysis. It also gives a good viewpoint for the fans to understand the differences involved before they dive deep into the live game.