The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 bandwagon will move to Pune on Tuesday as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) square off at MCA International Stadium in match number five of the ongoing tournament.
Both the teams had a forgetful campaign last year but will look to add a second IPL title to their respective cabinets with transformed squads. While Sunrisers Hyderabad finished at the bottom of the points table in the last edition, Rajasthan Royals either did not have a good year and ended their season at the seventh spot.
The Kane Williamson-led Sunrisers Hyderabad are banking upon the youngsters to deliver the goods for them this year. Picking up Abdul Samad and Umran Malik indicates the path they are heading towards.
While they would rely on the young shoulders of Rahul Tripathi and Abhishek Sharma for giving them a good start, this pair certainly does not boast of consistency. However, SRH's middle-order has firepower, with the franchise choosing to fill it in with the likes of Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram and Abdul Samad.
Their bowling lineup for the season comes across pretty well. Washington Sundar is likely to be the lead spinner, while Aiden Markram and Abdul Samad act as the part-timers. In addition, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik, Marco Jansen and Thangarasu Natarajan join together to build up a strong pace-bowling attack.
On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals will walk into the tournament, strengthening their batting core compared to the previous few seasons. Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal will likely be their opening combination, with Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson, Shimron Hetmyer and Riyan Parag forming a decent middle-order.
Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal and Prasidh Krishna will likely make the starting XI as four key bowlers.
Match Details:
Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals, Match 5, IPL 2022
Date and Time- March 29, 2022, 7:30 PM IST
Venue- Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
Broadcast- Star Sports Network and Disney+Hotstar
Pitch Report:
The pitch at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune, initially was known for its slow nature but lately had become the batters' yard. With comparatively short boundaries, batters are likely to have the upper hand. However, spinners could get assistance as the match progresses.
Squads:
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Kane Williamson, Abdul Samad, Umran Malik, Washington Sundar, Nicholas Pooran, T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Priyam Garg, Rahul Tripathi, Abhishek Sharma, Karik Tyagi, Shreyas Gopal, Jagadeesha Suchith, Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen, Romario Shepherd, Sean Abbott, R Samarth, Saurabh Dubey, Shashank Singh, Vishnu Vinod, Glenn Philips, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Rajasthan Royals
Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Trent Boult, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Riyan Parag, KC Cariappa, Navdeep Saini, Obed Mccoy, Arunay Singh, Kuldeep Sen, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Tejas Baroka, Kuldip Yadav, Shubham Garhwal, Daryl Mitchell, Rassie Van Der Dussen, Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Neesham.
Probable Playing XI:
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Rahul Tripathi, Abhishek Sharma, Kane Williamson (c), Nicholas Pooran (wk), Aiden Markram, Abdul Samad, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Marco Jansen, Umran Malik, Thangarasu Natarajan
Rajasthan Royals
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (c/wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna
CE Fantasy XI:
Rahul Tripathi, Jos Buttler, Kane Williamson, Sanju Samson, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Thangarasu Natarajan
Captain- Jos Buttler
Vice-captain- Nicholas Pooran