In the second clash of the double-header Saturday, the two bottom-placed teams will go up against each other to keep their slip chances of reaching the play-offs alive. Punjab Kings (PBKS) have won three out of their nine games whereas Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have managed to win just one game so far after playing eight games. It is perform or perish situation for both teams, especially SRH who have been playing their worst season in years. Even if Kane Williamson-led SRH win all of their remaining matches, it will still not guarantee a place in the playoffs.
Head-to-Head
SRH leads PBKS in their head-to-head match-up with 12 wins from 17 games. Also, SRH's solitary win in the season came against PBKS. This is SRH’s best chance to get back to winning ways after a comprehensive loss against Delhi Capitals (DC) as top-heavy PBKS batting lineup lacks depth and an in-form finisher. PBKS failed to close the match as they could not score four runs in the last over against Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Injury update and availability of players
T Natarajan continues to be unavailable for SRH after he tested positive for Covid-19 before the clash against DC. Natarajan’s short-term replacement has been named but he is likely to feature in the game. It is still unclear whether all-rounder Vijay Shankar will be playing against PBKS as he was a close contact of Natarajan and went into isolation. SRH’s new recruit, Sherfane Rutherford will also be unavailable as he has returned home to be with his family after his father’s demise. The in-form Rutherford was picked as Jonny Bairstow’s replacement and losing him is a big blow for SRH.
Key battles/stats: David Warner’s record against PBKS
SRH should not react harshly after Warner’s three-ball duck against DC and give him another chance against PBKS. The Australian opener making his 150th Indian Premier League (IPL) appearance has scored 943 runs against PBKS from 20 innings at an average of 52.39. His strike rate of 140.12 against the franchise is also a good sign considering his strike rate in the current season has taken a hit.
Ravi Bishnoi vs David Warner
Ravi Bishnoi was not a part of the side that played against DC as KL Rahul chose Adil Rashid ahead of him. Bishnoi had a good record against Warner in the last season dismissing him twice in just four balls.
KL Rahul vs Rashid Khan
The PBKS skipper has struggled against the Afghan spinner losing his wicket thrice and scoring 18 runs at a strike rate of 60. It would not be a surprise if Williamson introduces Rashid in the powerplay overs.
Nicholas Pooran vs Rashid Khan
The leg-spinner has been a major threat to Pooran. The wicketkeeper-batsman has had a horrible strike rate of 55.6 against the leggie. The southpaw has scored just 20 runs against the star spinner losing his wicket twice.
Predicted Playing XIs:
PBKS: KL Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Fabian Allen, Chris Jordan, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi
SRH: David Warner, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Manish Pandey, Abdul Samad , Abhishek Sharma, Jason Holder, , Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed
