SRH vs PBKS Preview – Winless Hyderabad take on confident Punjab
Sunrisers Hyderabad will take on the high-flying Punjab Kings in the 14th match of the ongoing IPL 2023 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday, April 9. While the Hyderabad-based outfit are winless in their ongoing campaign, their opponents, Punjab Kings, are one of the only two undefeated teams in the tournament so far.
Despite the arrival of skipper Aiden Markram, Sunrisers failed with the bat for a second successive game. The Orange Army managed a modest total of 121 runs in their previous encounter against LSG, as their skipper was dismissed for a golden duck on his captaincy debut for SRH. They had no answers against the Lucknow spin trio of Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi and Amit Mishra.
Meanwhile, Punjab Kings saw off the threat of Rajasthan Royals in their previous encounter in a hard-fought contest thanks to Shikhar Dhawan’s innings with the bat, which was followed by a masterful bowling performance by Nathan Ellis. IPL’s most expensive buy, Sam Curran bowled a tremendous final over to help his side to their second successive win.
Pitch and conditions
The previous match at this venue saw the team batting first post a daunting total of the board. However, the pitch slowed down considerably in the second half of the contest, assisting the slower bowlers to great extent. The team winning the toss would be inclined to bat first in Hyderabad.
Venue details: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
Last T20 match at the venue: RR- 203/5 (20 overs) | SRH- 131/8 (20 overs)
Probable playing XI for Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Punjab Kings clash:
Sunrisers Hyderabad:
Sunrisers will need to address their batting woes in the upcoming fixtures if they wish to turn around their season. The constant failures of the middle order are a headache for the team management, but they will hope Aiden Markram could bring his international form to the IPL as well.
Punjab Kings:
Contrary to their opponents, Punjab Kings have been sensational with the bat, especially the opening combination of Shikhar Dhawan and Prabhsimran Singh. The middle order has been contributing, and it was the bowling of the pacers apart from Ellis that would need a bit of improvement in the upcoming fixture.
