3 player battles to watch out for in SRH vs DC, Match 55 of IPL 2025 ft. KL Rahul

The 55th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 will see the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and the Delhi Capitals (DC) clash at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Monday, May 5.

Having lost their previous two fixtures, DC will be desperate to bounce back and return to the top four in the points table. They currently sit fifth in the standings with 10 points from as many games, including six wins and four defeats. A win tonight can help them jump to third place.

On the other hand, SRH's campaign is hanging by a thread. They are ninth in the standings with six points and an NRR of -1.117, including three wins and seven defeats. The SunRisers will look to finish the campaign on a high note by winning the remaining games.

The two sides have a few in-form players, who will make the contest enticing. On that note, we look at three player battles to watch out for.

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#1 Abhishek Sharma vs Kuldeep Yadav

The young opener has been one of SRH's top performers in what has been an inconsistent season for them. Abhishek Sharma has smashed 314 runs in 10 games at a strike rate of 180.46, including a hundred and a fifty.

His duel with DC's best bowler, Kuldeep Yadav, will be one to watch out for. Abhishek has smashed 38 runs in 13 deliveries against the left-arm spinners in T20s.

Kuldeep, who has 12 wickets this season, has also enjoyed decent success against Abhishek, having dismissed him twice in 38 balls.

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#2 KL Rahul vs Harshal Patel

The DC wicketkeeper-batter has had another excellent season with the bat. He has held their middle order, scoring 371 runs in nine innings at an average of 53, including three half-centuries.

KL Rahul will be up against Harshal Patel in the middle phase of the game. The SRH seamer has an excellent slower delivery and a yorker, often catching opposition batters off guard. Thus, Harshal's duel with Rahul in the middle overs will be crucial and can decide the outcome of the match.

Notably, Rahul has enjoyed a good record against Harshal, scoring 40 runs off 28 deliveries, while getting out only once.

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#3 Travis Head vs Mitchell Starc

The SRH opener has had a mixed IPL 2025 campaign. Travis Head has struggled for consistency, scoring 281 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 156.11, including two half-centuries.

Head, who has struggled to cross the 30-run mark in the last four innings, will look to score big against DC tonight. However, he might be challenged by countryman Mitchell Starc. The left-arm seamer has dismissed Head twice in seven balls in the IPL and will play a crucial role in ruffling Hyderabad again.