The Sunrisers Hyderabad are back in the mix of the VIVO IPL 2016. With a thumping victory against the Gujarat Lions by 10 wickets, the Sunrisers have gotten over their poor start to the season. The Match 18 of this unpredictable tournament will feature the Kings XI Punjab, who will head to the home ground of the Sunrisers Hyderabad. The Sunrisers haven’t exactly had a great home record and for the sake of their fans, they will be hoping to change that.
After ending at the bottom in IPL 2015, the Kings XI find themselves in a similar position, losing 3 of the 4 games played so far this season. Skipper David Miller, who has struggled to get going with a top score of 15, will want to start fresh against the Sunrisers and believe they can overcome their dreadful start. Similarly, the crowd favorite Glenn Maxwell has been completely off his game with scores of 2,0,32 and 4 in the 4 games played so far and has not done justice to his batting skills.
The pitch at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium will be decent to bat on provided the batsmen spend a few overs to get in. It will not be easy for the spectators as well with the temperatures rising by the day.
Match Date and Time: 23 April 2016, 2000 hrs IST
Match Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.
Weather:
Temperature: Max 38°c, Min 31°cHumidity: Max 19%Wind: 15 km's per hour
Pitch Report: Something in store for the pace bowlers. Good batting wicket. Par score should be 160.
In-Depth Analysis:
The batting of the Sunrisers is still in question as the two games that they have won so far, David Warner has been at the center of it. Fans will be happy to see Shikhar Dhawan scoring a fifty after a long wait and will hope this is the start towards something special. The Sunrisers showed what could happen if Warner and Dhawan got going initially and it was certainly a treat to watch the explosive strokeplay.
After a complete performance against the Gujarat Lions, the Sunrisers will be positive in their approach against the Kings XI. They could probably shuffle their batting line-up and send in someone like Eoin Morgan at the number 3 position. Morgan hasn’t had much of game time and getting him back in form will be the best possible thing for their batting department. It will be interesting to see how many chances someone like Morgan or even the Aussie all-rounder, Moises Henriques will get before they let in the consistent kiwi batsman, Kane Williamson. Williamson has not featured so far this season and he could be just the kind of batsman the Sunrisers need to stabilize their middle order.
The biggest positive for the Sunrisers apart from Warner’s form has been their bowling army. With Bhuvaneshwar Kumar picking up 4 wickets and conceding 29 runs in his 4 overs, playing a crucial part in their victory against the Gujarat Lions, Hyderabad bowlers have been performing brilliantly. Opponents have struggled to uncover the Bangladeshi seamer, Mustafizur Rahman who has been excellent with his variations.
When Kings XI look back on their defeats, they will feel their batting has been well below par. With only Murali Vijay, Manan Vohra, and Shaun Marsh crossing the 50 run mark, they will need to pull up their socks. Batters Miller and Maxwell will be the key to Punjab reaching a respectable total.
The Kings XI have not been able to find a consistent new ball bowler who can support Sandeep Sharma with the new ball. The retired Mitchell Johnson has not yet found his form this season and the South African Kyle Abbott has been hit for plenty as well. Axar Patel and Mohit Sharma have done a decent job and it will be up to them to contain the Sunrisers.
Sunrisers will be looking to make it 3 wins in a row and with the crowd behind them, they will start favorites against the Kings XI Punjab.
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