Sunrisers Hyderabad come off the back of a heart-wrenching loss against Kolkata Knight Riders in their season opener while Rajasthan Royals were met with a very similar fate against Kings XI Punjab when they crumbled after Jos Buttler's controversial dismissal. As Rajasthan sets foot at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, they will know that beating the Kane Williamson-led side is no easy task at their fortress.
What will haunt them in particular is that the bullish Jos Buttler has a nemesis in Rashid Khan in the opposition ranks. Sunrisers, though,can't sit back and relax. Their bowling faltered against Kolkata Knight Riders when Andre Russell blew them away and Rajasthan's batting is capable of equal destruction.
Conditions: Sluggish wicket with run-scoring comparatively difficult.
Player Recommendations:
Wicket-keeper: Jos Buttler (10.5 cr)
The indomitable Jos Buttler found his groove early in the season and despite his awkward dismissal attracting attention, the England wicket-keeper batsman remains a potent threat at the top. His powerplay batting is a revelation and at Hyderabad on a sluggish wicket, it could just be the difference between the two sides.
Batsman: David Warner (10 cr)
Warner made a celebrated comeback to the Sunrisers setup but saw his side succumb to a shock loss against some rampant hitting from Russell. Warner, with a World Cup spot in sight, won't back down, though. Expect the destructive opener to go all guns blazing yet again. Archer will be his only threat but Warner in form should be able to
Sunrisers Hyderabad come off the back of a heart-wrenching loss against Kolkata Knight Riders in their season opener while Rajasthan Royals were met with a very similar fate against Kings XI Punjab when they crumbled after Jos Buttler's controversial dismissal. As Rajasthan sets foot at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, they will know that beating the Kane Williamson-led side is no easy task at their fortress.
What will haunt them in particular is that the bullish Jos Buttler has a nemesis in Rashid Khan in the opposition ranks. Sunrisers, though,can't sit back and relax. Their bowling faltered against Kolkata Knight Riders when Andre Russell blew them away and Rajasthan's batting is capable of equal destruction.
Conditions: Sluggish wicket with run-scoring comparatively difficult.
Player Recommendations:
Wicket-keeper: Jos Buttler (10.5 cr)
The indomitable Jos Buttler found his groove early in the season and despite his awkward dismissal attracting attention, the England wicket-keeper batsman remains a potent threat at the top. His powerplay batting is a revelation and at Hyderabad on a sluggish wicket, it could just be the difference between the two sides.
Batsman: David Warner (10 cr)
Warner made a celebrated comeback to the Sunrisers setup but saw his side succumb to a shock loss against some rampant hitting from Russell. Warner, with a World Cup spot in sight, won't back down, though. Expect the destructive opener to go all guns blazing yet again. Archer will be his only threat but Warner in form should be able to counter that.
All-rounder: Ben Stokes (9.5 cr)
His hit-the-deck bowling should be handy on this surface and given the vulnerability of the top -order, his batting should also be pivotal to Rajasthan's chances. The England all-rounder will want to keep that economy low but against a Sunrisers batting which does t mind going big, Stokes' length could be handy.
Bowler: Rashid Khan (9.5 cr)
Rashid Khan has dismissed Jos Buttler thrice in the eight balls he has bowled to the Rajasthan opener in T20s. A terrific T20 bowler, the Afghanistan leg-spinner is a handful on any wicket but at Hyderabad in particular, he should thrive. Expect tons of points from Rashid and he is a potential captaincy candidate too.
Captain: Ben Stokes
Vice-captain: David Warner
Predicted Playing XI
Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner, Jonny Bairstow/Shakib-al-Hasan, Vijay Shankar, Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Yusuf Pathan, Siddarth Kaul, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma
Rajasthan Royals: Ajinkya Rahane, Jos Buttler, Steve Smith, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Rahul Tripathi, Krishnappa Gowtham, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat, Jofra Archer, Dhawal Kulkarni
