Gujarat Lions meet the home team Sunrisers Hyderabad in match 34 of the Vivo IPL 2016. The Lions have slipped to the second position in the points table with 12 points. KKR also have 12 points but are on top on account of a better net run rate.
The Sunrisers are at 5th position, have 8 points in their kitty but have played 2 games lesser than Gujarat Lions. Suresh Raina, the Lions' skipper, would like to get a couple of wins quickly to seal their place in the playoffs.
The Lions have played some fine cricket so far but they will be slightly worried after they lost two games on the trot at home and will desperately look to arrest this slump in form. They can’t let any more slip-ups if they harbour hopes of finishing among the top two in the points table.
The Sunrisers have shown good game sense under their skipper David Warner. They have made a fine comeback in this tournament after they started their campaign on a disastrous note. Warner would realise that they have reached the halfway stage as far as their campaign is concerned and a more concerted effort from his team at this stage will surely take them to the playoffs.
It should be a good battle at Hyderabad and the home team will start as favourites on the basis of the current form of both the sides.
Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
Match date: May 6, 2016
Match timings: 2000 Hrs IST
If Gujarat Lions bat first
Predicted score: 160 and above
Gujarat’s top order has struggled in the last couple of games as their batsmen have played reckless strokes to get out cheaply. The shot selection needs to improve for the Lions if they don't want to throw it away in the business end of their campaign.
With Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum, and Aaron Finch at the top, the Lions would want at least 70% of the runs coming from them.
The rest of the batting is not too bad either with the likes of skipper Raina and Dinesh Karthik occupying important positions in the middle order. Expect close to 50 runs in the powerplays for the Lions. Fancy Karthik playing a little gem towards the end to propel the score to around 160.
The bowling also needs to step up to help an out-of-form batting line-up. Praveen Kumar and Dhawal Kulkarni have to start well against the likes of Warner and Dhawan. A couple of early wickets for the Lions will set the cat amongst the pigeons for Hyderabad.
Raina might bring Dale Steyn in for this game as he might pose a challenge to the quality Hyderabad top order comprising of Warner, Dhawan, and Williamson. The spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Shivil Kaushik would want to bamboozle the Sunrisers with their variations.
The pitch should also aid the spinners and there could be an option of playing the old warhorse Pravin Tambe. The spinners will have to do the job for the Lions as most of the Sunrisers batsmen like pace on the ball.
If Sunrisers Hyderabad bats first
Predicted score: 175 and above
The big news for Hyderabad is the return of their champion southpaw Yuvraj Singh. Yuvraj will be expected to play his first game for the Sunrisers after he suffered an ankle injury in the World T20 game against Australia.
He would be keen to shake off his rustiness quickly and get going straight away for the Sunrisers as this is a crucial phase in the tournament for them.
David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan will continue to open and would like to build a steady partnership at the top. They will also be thrilled with Kane Williamson's successful comeback in the last game. The Kiwi skipper is a vital cog in the wheel and his contribution at no. 3 will be crucial.
Moises Henriques and Yuvraj should occupy the middle order with Naman Ojha. Expect Hyderabad to post a huge score of around 180 if one out of the top three bats through till the end.
The bowling led by the Bangladeshi genius Mustafizur Rahman looks settled and hungry for success. The veteran pacer, Ashish Nehra, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be expected to swing the new ball in the early overs.
Henriques, too, has been decent with the ball and has managed to keep the run-flow quiet. The relatively inexperienced Hyderabad spinners Karn Sharma/Bipul Sharma could be targeted by the opposition and Warner will be wary of that.
Mustafizur has been used smartly by Warner and more often than not the Sunrisers have reaped rewards of his excellent spells. Sunrisers have a great chance of winning this encounter and securing valuable points to move forward in this competition.
Probable winners: Sunrisers Hyderabad
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